Upgrade planned for
Gillwell Road Taxi Rank
By Tabisa Mntengwana
07 May 2009
THE municipality is to lease land for East London’s Gillwell Road Taxi Rank so that the rank can be upgraded and developed.
At present, two pieces of ground are used as a taxi rank and a retail park for traders. Upgrading the facility will bring together commuters, taxi operators and other service providers in one location.
According to a municipal report, upgrading the Gillwell Road Taxi Rank will also create a higher level of business formalisation and regulation in the interest of commuters and the business community, and will ensure the safety of commuters.
It says the project will promote urban renewal, create jobs and opportunities for small enterprise. “The project will further assist in the effort to rejuvenate the East London CBD and also will promote and formalise the informal trade in and around the city,” said the acting general manager for transport planning and operations, John Davies.
Establishing a formal taxi rank will bring with it overnight ablution facilities and parking, a safety centre, emergency services, legal services and a business training centre.
The Gillwell Road Taxi Rank has been identified as a key node in the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks programme being rolled out by the municipality. The first phase of the programme is the creation of a network of trunk bus routes, in the form of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, being implemented along the Mdantsane-East London District corridor.
The corridor includes the East London CBD and surrounding suburbs, Duncan Village and Mdantsane.
According to Davies, the upgrading was instigated by the congestion in the rank. “A contributing factor to the congestion is the unlicensed hawker stalls and containers that have been placed throughout the rank.”
Taxi operators would also be safer. “The safety of the taxi operators at taxi ranks will be increased through visible policing structures and the roadworthiness of taxis,” he added.
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