PARKING POLICY FOR THE CITY OF
CAPE TOWN
(POLICY NUMBER 17913)
REVISED AND APPROVED BY COUNCIL:
03 DECEMBER 2020 VIDE ITEM C22/12/20
PARKING POLICY
FOR THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN
Approved by Council: 3 December 2020
C 22/12/20
Policy Number
17913
Version:
Final
Submitted by:
Director: Transport Planning
Approver:
Council
Date Approved:
3 December 2020
VERSION CONTROL
Approved by Manager: Transport Forward
Planning
2 February 2020
V. 1
Approved by Director: Transport Planning
6 March 2020
V.2
After public comment process
6 October 2020
V.3
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 DEFINITIONS: ................................................................................................................................................... 4
2 ABBREVIATIONS: ........................................................................................................................................... 5
1 CONTEXT .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Overview ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Parking in Cape Town ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Why parking is important ....................................................................................................................................... 9
The purpose and scope of this policy ................................................................................................................ 9
The role of parking in the overall transport system ....................................................................................... 10
Parking management in Cape Town .............................................................................................................. 10
Policy Review ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Policy Context ........................................................................................................................................................ 11
Achievements of the previous Parking Policy ............................................................................................... 11
Gaps identified ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Problem statement and Emerging Issues ....................................................................................................... 12
Growing misalignment between the previous Parking Policy and the emerging understanding of
the strategic role of parking ............................................................................................................................................ 12
The total cost of parking is not well understood ........................................................................................... 13
Growing demand for long-term parking within established economic centres ................................. 14
Congestion into established centres is growing ........................................................................................... 15
Lack of Accommodation of new travel modes ........................................................................................... 15
A lack of equity of parking provision ................................................................................................................ 16
Economic activity can suffer if not easily accessed by customers and delivery vehicles ............... 17
Poor management of parking in the public right of way .......................................................................... 17
Inefficient use of off-street structured parking ............................................................................................... 18
Misuse of parking permits and reserved parking...................................................................................... 18
Lack of environmentally responsible design and functions .................................................................. 18
Lack of data on current parking patterns .................................................................................................. 19
Regulatory context ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Legislation and by-laws........................................................................................................................................ 19
Strategies, policies and guidelines ................................................................................................................... 20
Parking Policy parameters ................................................................................................................................ 20
2 POLICY STATEMENT .................................................................................................................................... 21
Parking Policy Principles .................................................................................................................................... 21
Desired outcomes ............................................................................................................................................... 22
Strategic alignment ............................................................................................................................................ 23
3 PARKING POLICY DIRECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 24
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Enforcement of Public Parking Policy Directives .......................................................................................... 24
Policy Directive 1: Undertake regular enforcement of on-street and public off-street parking violations and
areas to ensure compliance with the City’s By-laws. .............................................................................................. 24
Managed Parking Policy Directives ................................................................................................................ 25
Policy Directive 2: Improve payment rate for parking in managed parking areas. ......................................... 25
Policy Directive 3: Adapt the payment to a cashless system only (eg. Europay, MasterCard and or Visa
(EMV) compliant smart cards or mobile applications) in priced parking areas. ............................................... 26
Policy Directive 4: Communicate with the public on the benefits of managed parking. ................................ 26
Policy Directive 5: Expand managed parking areas with the implementation of parking management
contracts. .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Policy Directive 6: Implement performance, utilisation and land use based pricing as a new pricing
strategy. ............................................................................................................................................................................. 27
Off-street Parking Policy Directives ................................................................................................................. 27
Policy Directive 7: Periodically review and Implement reduced parking requirements to facilitate new
development and address private car dependency and emissions proactively, whilst preserving the
transport and urban environment. ............................................................................................................................... 27
Policy Directive 8: Support land-use and building plan applications for the development of remote
parking in proximity to urban nodes. .......................................................................................................................... 28
Policy Directive 9: Implement design requirements that will enable the future conversion of on-site
structured parking into other land-uses. ..................................................................................................................... 28
Park & Ride Policy Directives ............................................................................................................................ 28
Policy Directive 10: Provide a high quality customer experience at Park & Ride facilities. ............................. 28
Policy Directive 11: Reserve Park & Ride parking for public transport users. ...................................................... 29
Reserved Bay Policy Directives ........................................................................................................................ 29
Policy Directive 12: Improve enforcement to eliminate the illegal use of all reserved parking bays. .......... 29
Policy Directive 13: Improve the availability and efficient use of loading bays by bona fide goods
vehicles. ............................................................................................................................................................................ 30
Policy Directive 14: Investigate the provision of appropriately located and designed facilities for long
distance and tour bus services. .................................................................................................................................... 30
Parking Permits and Reserved Parking Policy Directives ............................................................................ 30
Policy Directive 15: Implement a new parking permit and parking pricing for the disabled to resolve
abuse of reserved parking for the disabled. .............................................................................................................. 30
Policy Directive 16: Introduce a Resident Parking Permit system in managed and unmanaged parking
areas such as where access and parking is restricted during special events only, or where there is
encroachment from adjacent non-residential land uses. ...................................................................................... 31
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Policy Directive 17: Introduce an incentive that allows parkers to get a discount in identified bays in
identified zones within managed parking areas if parking for up to 15min. ....................................................... 31
Policy Directive 18: Earmark parking temporarily through the hiring out of parking bays at the applicable
tariff in terms of the Tariff book. ..................................................................................................................................... 31
Bicycle and Motorcycle Parking Policy Directives ...................................................................................... 32
Policy Directive 19: Implement bicycle and motorcycle parking in support of the TDM Strategy and
sustainable modes of transport. ................................................................................................................................... 32
Protecting the Public Right of Way Policy Directives ................................................................................... 32
Policy Directive 20: Illegal parking on sidewalks, in demarcated cycle lanes or elsewhere outside of
parking bays obstructs pedestrian and cycle movement, and must be enforced by the City in terms of
the applicable City By-laws. ......................................................................................................................................... 32
Policy Directive 21: In areas with high pedestrian volumes (or expected volumes), identify and implement
pedestrian zones where parking could be restricted. ............................................................................................. 33
Policy Directive 22: In areas of high public transport volumes, identify and implement transit malls where
parking could be restricted........................................................................................................................................... 33
4 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ................................................................................................................ 33
5 IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................... 34
Potential risks that may impede policy implementation ............................................................................ 34
6 MONITORING AND EVALUATION ......................................................................................................... 35
Areas requiring attention/ investigation ......................................................................................................... 35
7 ANNEXURES .................................................................................................................................................. 37
ANNEXURE A: GUIDELINES FOR THE SPATIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGED PARKING ... 38
1 TOD aligned Parking Provision and Management ........................................................................................... 38
2 Implications at a Metropolitan Scale .................................................................................................................. 39
3 Implications at a Precinct Scale .......................................................................................................................... 41
ANNEXURE B: GUIDELINES FOR THE PRICING OF MANAGED PARKING ....................................... 43
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1 Definitions:
City
The City of Cape Town, a municipality established by the City of Cape Town
Establishment Notice No. 479 of 22 September 2000, issued in terms of the Local
Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act No. 117 of 1998), or any
structure or employee of the City acting in terms of delegated authority.
Congestion
management
An approach that recognises that congestion cannot be “solved”, but various
actions can be taken to reduce its effects and encourage improved city form,
public tansport services, and travel choices through travel demand
management tools.
e-Hailing
A public transport service operated by means of a motor vehicle, which:
(a) is available for hire while roaming; and
(b) is equipped with an electronic e-hailing technology-enabled application
Exclusive use
parking bay
A parking bay which has been earmarked for the exclusive use of a particular
user subject to a permit approval.
Integrated
electronic
payment system
A cashless payment system.
Low income
housing
Any form of accommodation which is provided with the assistance of a state
subsidy, or is incentivised by the state, in order to enable people to reside in an
area from which market-related rentals or ownership preclude them.
Managed parking
areas
A business or recreational area of high demand and limited parking availability
which has been demarcated by the City, where the City implements a tariff
charge for use of the parking bays in an effort to increase turnover of bays, use of
alternative means to travel, reserving bays for desingated uses, increasing
availability and implementing timing restrictions in an effort to support and
promote economic activity and viability of the area. The area may consist of
various sub-zones.
More sustainble
vehicle types
Vehicles that operate fully or partly on alternative energy sources or less carbon-
intensive compared to fossil-fueled vehicles, including electric vehicles of varying
types, as well as combustion-fueled motorbikes and bicycles of all types.
Off-street parking
bay
A parking bay within a parking ground.
On-street parking
bay
A parking bay within a public street.
Paratransit
A variety of current and future forms of transport for public use which are not
mass transport services and not provided by or through a sphere of government
or state entity, but operating with permission of a sphere of government.
Parking bay
A demarcated area within which a vehicle is to be parked, demarcated as such
upon the surface of a parking ground or a public street.
Parking
Management
Service Provider
A service provider appointed to administer a parking management service on
behalf of the City.
Pedestrian zones
Public spaces and roadways where the right of way for pedestrians is prioritized
and vehicular access restricted.
PT1 & PT2 areas
Delineated areas with reduced parking requirements from the standard land use
zoning requirements, in areas deemed to enjoy high levels of access to public
transport.
Public parking
Parking bays for use by the general public.
Public road
Any road, street, cycle path, thoroughfare, parking ground, dedicated busway,
or other, including a verge and sidewalk in the road reserve, historically used as a
road, or demarcated as such on an approved plan or diagram (this is a
simplification of the offical definitiion found in the Parking Bylaw)
Reserved parking
bay
A bay reserved for a particular use or user group, such as a bay for people living
with a disability; a loading bay; a bus stop; a bay for high occupancy vehicles; a
bay for electric vehicles (with or without charging facilities); and motorbike or
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bicycle parking bays or any other bay which falls under the reserved bay
category as classified by the South African Road Traffic Signs Manuals (SARTSM).
The bay will be signposted or display the appropriate markings as set out by
SARTSM.
Ridesharing
An arrangement between commuters to travel together in a vehicle regularly in
a lift-club or carpool, in which the driver was making the journey anyway.
Spatial logic
(applied to
parking)
The reasoned approach to spatially delineate areas in which a parking should be
managed
Special events
An occassional event which attracts such large crowds that it requires dedicated
traffic management services and may require parking permits for its duration.
Staging
Staging is different from parking. It refers to the medium to long term “storing” of
a public transport or freight vehicle until it is needed, i.e. in-between peak
periods.
Transit Mall
A section of roadway which is designed to prioritise right of way for public
transport and non-motorised transport and where private vehicle access is
restricted.
Travel Demand
Management
(TDM)
Actions, strategies, policies and tools used to encourage reduction in travel
demand, or to redistribute this demand in space or in time by travellers making
travel choices which maximizes the efficiency of the transportation system
leading to improved mobility and environmental sustainability, reduces
congestion and lowers vehicle emissions.
Transit-oriented
development
(TOD)
A development strategy with a bias towards viable public transport and
therefore speaks to urban form, development type, development intensity and
development mix. TOD requires a city’s transport system to respond to urban
development in a way that caters for the needs of the passengers while
remaining affordable to the local authority and its residents, however it may also
require the development of new transport infrastructure to be used proactively,
to drive sustainable and compact development.
2 Abbreviations:
CCT
City of Cape Town
CBD
Central Business District
CITP
Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan
CT CBD
Cape Town Central Business District
CTICC
Cape Town International Convention Centre
DMS
Development Management Scheme
ECAMP
Economic Areas Management Programme
EMV
Europay, MasterCard and Visa
EVs
Electric Vehicles
IDP
Integrated Development Plan
IPTN
Integrated Public Transport Network
MFPFA
Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Act, 2007 (Act No. 12 of 2007)
MSA
Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000)
NATMAP
National Transport Master Plan
NLTA
National Land Transport Act, 2009 (Act No. 5 of 2009)
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NMT
Non-Motorised Transport
PLTF
Provincial Land Transport Framework
PRASA
Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa
PT
Public Transport
SDF
Spatial Development Framework
TDM
Travel Demand Management
TOD
Transit-Oriented Development
1 Context
Introduction
This policy document results from a review of the existing Parking Policy, to ensure alignment with
the strategic priorities of the City, international best practice, and to strengthen the
implementation and review aspects of the policy. It is written in a context of growing congestion
and an under-performing rail service, but also an established quality MyCiTi bus service, notably
serving the Cape Town CBD and surrounds. Parking provision and management is part of a more
holistic plan for integrating transport in Cape Town.
Overview
Parking in Cape Town
Historically, parking in Cape Town was not seen as a problem because it was accepted that
drivers could park vehicles wherever they needed to, for as long as they wanted. With increased
pressure on the road network, leading to increased competition between different parking
functions, and between parking and movement functions, the City approved its first Parking
Policy in 2014.
With reference to Table 1, the City managed 3 237 on-street parking bays in four business districts
of Cape Town. While the majority of on-street disabled bays are provided in the CT CBD, they
are also provided in Strand, Sea Point, Claremont, Somerset West and Bellville CBDs.
Table 1: On-street Managed Parking in 2018
1
BUSINESS DISTRICT
NUMBER OF BAYS
AV. PARKING TIME (MINS)
SITE OCCUPANCY
Cape Town
2 080
42
50%
Bellville
544
41
47%
Sea Point
352
43
48%
Claremont
261
31
38%
TOTAL
3 237
The vast majority of the supply is however off-street. It was estimated that there were a total of
45 122 off-street parking bays in the Cape Town CBD in 2015, largely provided by the private
1
City of Cape Town, 2016, Assessment of Parking Tariffs for Managed Parking Bays within the City of Cape Town
(unpublished)
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sector for their employees and customers, or for public use. This covered more than 1,128 km
2
in
land and air rights in the Cape Town CBD.
2
The diagram below shows the highest provision of parking being 1 300 bays or more (e.g. the
CTICC, and the Portside Building), with several buildings providing 600 bays or more.
There have been several new developments since then, and approvals (the largest being
Harbour Arch), which would increase these figures.
2
City of Cape Town, 2015, Inner City Parking Inventory (unpublished)
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Figure 1: Location of privately provided parking in the Cape Town CBD (2015)
Parking utilisation is more difficult to measure. However, the City does undertake surveys from
time to time to measure off-street utilisation per land use, in order to inform updates to the
Development Management Scheme requirements.
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Of those who used motorised transport (about 84% in 2009-2014), the balance tipped from the
majority (51%) using public transport in 2009
3
, to the majority (52%) using private transport in 2012
4
.
This is counter to the City’s intentions for modal shift to favour public transport (40:60 split by 2014)
as set out in the City’s Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan (2013).
The City’s Parking Policy, 2014, is now requiring substantial revision in order to align it with the new
strategic objectives of the City, and the changing conditions of transport in Cape Town.
Why parking is important
In Cape Town, car ownership trends continue to rise, with an average annual increase of 3.5%
(2001-2013), which is higher than the average population growth rate during that period: 2.6%
(2001-2011)
5
. Studies show that car ownership levels are not directly related to income levels, but
rather to the provision of good public transport, coupled with restricted access to parking.
6
It is now recognised internationally that the provision and pricing of parking is a significant factor
in travel behaviour in cities
7
. The provision, management and enforcement of parking has a
significant role to play in a policy era of providing improved public transport services; managing
travel demand; and incentivising non-motorised transport. It is also one area over which local
government has significant control: both the provision and management of on-street parking,
and the provision of off-street parking.
As cars are parking for an average of 23 hours a day, the take-up of valuable city land for idle
vehicles is significant.
The purpose and scope of this policy
This Policy is a comprehensive, city-wide parking policy to direct parking provision, management,
regulation, enforcement and pricing. It affects a wide range of people, organisations and
locations as it aims to influence economic and environmental sustainability and travel behaviour
- when and where people travel by car and other transport modes.
This policy aligns parking with the strategic intentions of the City around not only parking, but
sustainable land use, resilience initiatives, economic development and travel demand
management. It is therefore an important element of a transit-oriented development approach
to city growth. Coupled with this is also an approach to parking management in the City's
business areas that will encourage higher parking turnovers to the benefit of local businesses.
This Policy is structured along the following main parking categories: on-street parking, off-street
parking, Park & Ride facilities, loading bays, bus bays, parking permits and reserved parking and
bicycle and motorcycle parking.
3
City of Cape Town, 2016: Parking Levy: A Research Project into the applicability of a parking levy for Cape Town
(unpublished)
4
City of Cape Town, 2019: Development of an Urban Development Index (UDI), unpublished
5
City of Cape Town, 2016: Parking Levy: A Research Project into the applicability of a parking levy for Cape Town
(unpublished)
6
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ, 2010), Parking Management: A Contribution Towards
Liveable Cities, p1
7
GTZ, 2010
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The role of parking in the overall transport system
Parking is often the forgotten aspect of national policy on transport infrastructure provision,
despite the fact that most vehicles are parked for the majority of the time. However, the Draft
Revised White Paper on National Transport Policy (2017:54) is very clear on a need for a paradigm
shift around private car travel and parking: “Unrestrained car usage and subsidised parking will
be contained through the application of policy instruments which could include strict parking
policies, access restrictions for private cars, high licence fees, road pricing or area licensing.
Restraints on private car usage will however not be implemented independently of
improvements in the quality of public transport”.
GTZ (2010) provides a useful summary of the conventional approach to parking, and the
emerging paradigm in Table 2 below, which is shaped by social, environmental, economic and
fiscal concerns.
Table 2: Comparison between the old and current parking paradigms
Indicator
Traditional parking
management approach
TDM / TOD aligned parking
management response
1.
Parking considered as
Public good
Commodity
2.
Demand assumed
Fixed/ Inelastic
Flexible/ Elastic
3.
Supply should
Always grow
Be managed in response to
demand
4.
Government regulations
Set minimums and no
standards
Set maximums
5.
Pricing maximises
Occupation
Availability
6.
Turnover encouraged via
Time limits
Pricing and time limits
7.
Cost should be
Bundled with goods
Transparent to users
Source: Adapted from GTZ, 2010, p22
Parking management in Cape Town
Parking management in Cape Town has been rooted in the “old paradigm”, with an emphasis
on ensuring adequate supply. Free parking is available on most municipal streets. Where
municipal parking has been managed in some central business districts, pricing and time limits
have been used to maximise utilisation. Management in these areas has been the responsibility
of a Parking Management Service Provider. Parking enforcement has been the responsibility of
the City’s Traffic Services, which have to deal with many more serious traffic offences than
parking transgressions.
The private provision of parking is regulated under the City’s Municipal Planning Bylaw (2015, as
amended) through parking minimums per land use and location. This followed the old paradigm
of ensuring that there should be ample parking provision to accommodate all parking demand
on-site.
The City now recognises that it needs to provide direction to all roleplayers who provide and
manage parking. This will be referred to as a “directive” approach in this policy (as opposed to
a reactive / responsive approach).
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Policy Review
The Parking Policy of 2014 was the first of its kind for Cape Town. As with the review of the City’s
IDP and CITP, policy review should be undertaken every 5 years, or when the policy
environment shifts significantly, to ensure proper alignment with the IDP and CITP priorities.
Policy Context
The policy context of the City has also been greatly augmented, with a new Integrated
Development Plan 2017-2022 (IDP as amended: 2019), Municipal Spatial Development
Framework 2018-2023 (CTMSDF: 2018), Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan 2018-2023
(CITP as amended: 2019) and Integrated Public Transport Network Plan 2015-2032 (IPTN: 2015).
More detailed work has been carried out to advance the mutually supportive relationship
between land use and transport in the Transit-oriented Development Strategic Framework
(2016), and to promote travel behaviour change through the Travel Demand Management
Strategy (2017).
The Climate Change Policy (2017), and more recently the Resilience Strategy (2019) have direct
relevance to the policy with respect to trip generation, and the nature of parking facilities. The
Environmental Strategy (2017) is instructive in designing and managing parking areas, as it
recognises that the environment is an irreplaceable asset and provides many ecosystem goods
and services.
Achievements of the previous Parking Policy
Implementation of the Parking Policy of 2014 has been successful in the following areas:
the establishment of managed parking areas in certain CBDs and appointing a Parking
Management Service Provider; technological improvements, including a Parking App;
provision and management of disabled / special needs parking
inclusion of parking requirements for “special cases” under the Development Management
scheme; encouraging transit-oriented development at Park &Rides
the provision of bike parking
providing a long distance bus facility
The implementation has been moderately successful in:
Moving towards the management of high demand recreational parking areas
Update the provision of Disability Permits
Creating residents’ permits
Delineating a further iteration of PT zones
Investigating the option of implementing maximum parking standards
expanding and formalising Park & Rides (has been successful at MyCiTi stations only)
The implementation has been least successful in:
expanding the enforcement capacity for parking in the Safety & Security Directorate, and
applying new enforcement technologies
Enforcement through administrative penalties in managed parking areas
Establishing priced parking for motorbikes to replace car parking bays
No support to ring-fence parking income
The crisis in rail has resulted in no demand to resource the management at Park & Rides at
railway stations
providing parking and overnight facilities for freight vehicles
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Gaps identified
While the previous Parking Policy was strong on management and enforcement, three critical
areas have now been identified as needing inclusion or strengthening, to support transit-oriented
development, travel demand management and environmental sustainability:
The management of parking within the main commercial areas in order to influence, rather
than respond to, demand patterns, ie to be directive
Provision of parking which favours more sustainable modes of private travel, eg bicycles,
motorbikes, electric vehicles and ridesharing
Parking facilities should be environmentally responsible in their design and function, and be
guided by the City’s Green Infrastructure planning to support long-term resilience in response
to climate change.
In addition, while responsible departments were identified for each action in the previous policy,
in some cases these departments did not own the responsibilities assigned to them.
These gaps are all addressed in this policy. The assignment of responsibility for actions has been
strengthened through creating a separate Implementation Framework, which identifies a lead
department, and support departments where necessary. It also provides for a priority rating and
time line which ensures that measurable objectives are being achieved within specified timelines.
Problem statement and Emerging Issues
The nature of the “problem” will be identified differently by the different stakeholders. The
average car-user may see the problem as a lack of plentiful, free parking at their destination.
Businesses identify a problem if they are not easily accessible to their customers and delivery
vehicles. Residents expect free access to on-street parking outside their home (no matter its
location). People living with disabilities, motorbike and bicycle riders, and electric vehicles have
specific parking requirements which need protection.
The City is constrained with respect to its enforcement capacity, and is responsible for ensuring a
quality and sustainable urban environment, and protecting the public right of way for all users. It
also needs to do all in its power to support public transport services.
Growing misalignment between the previous Parking Policy and the emerging
understanding of the strategic role of parking
The previous Policy took a reactive / responsive approach and was specific in setting
the price of parking for managed parking areas, based on maintaining a good
parking “level of service” for the experienced demand.
The provision of parking is one of the key cost drivers for developers, with surface
parking taking up precious developable land area (all off-street parking in the Cape
Town CBD alone occupies more than 1,128 km
2
), and basement parking being very
expensive and often not feasible to develop due to sub-surface ground conditions.
Municipal parking requirements can act as a significant barrier to achieving a denser
urban form, with developers finding it infeasible to make a return from marginal higher-
density developments as result of the additional space requirements for parking
reducing the intensity of residential use on the site. The increased cost incurred in
providing parking is ultimately passed onto the end user, thereby reducing the
affordability of the units. The application of parking standards in an increasingly flexible
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and targeted manner, specifically in alignment with public transport infrastructure, is
required if Transit Orientated Development is to be achieved
8
.
The implementation of the TOD Strategic Framework has required a review of all City
policies, strategies and bylaws. An analysis of existing policies, for alignment with TOD
(June 2018)
9
, identified the Parking Policy as being a high priority for review. It was
found to be highly relevant to the implementation of TOD, but also to be an
impediment in its current form. It recommended that the City investigate introducing
parking disincentives in TOD areas, and possibly introducing maximum parking
standards.
Further, parking requirements can place a significant burden on marginal
developments, by taking up limited land available for business use (Pers com, 2019:
small business developing and managing affordable tenanted flats in Cape Town).
This can extenuate the competitive advantage of larger businesses who are better
able to absorb the costs of parking provision, as well as incentivise smaller businesses
to remain informal and not seek approval for their land use and building development
via the formal regulatory process.
The total cost of parking is not well understood
There is a need to better account for the total cost of parking provision. This requires
consideration of the other land use options which have been foregone and the
potential economic, environmental or social activity which this land could have
supported.
Further, the investment required for infrastructure such as roads, water and sewerage
pipes (bulk services), as well as potential impact upon ecosystem goods and services,
which is necessary to service productive uses grows in relation to how much land is
dedicated to parking, as this drives productive land uses further apart which means
infrastructure networks must span greater land areas.
Allocating much of the city’s land to free, unrestricted parking is a significant inducer
for greater car use and adds to the skewing of this mode being a more viable option
compared with other transport modes. Not having to factor in the real cost of parking,
together with the other costs associated with private vehicle use which are not borne
by the driver, such as emissions and the associated environmental and health impacts,
means that the private vehicle is unduly subsidised compared with other modes of
transport, Table 3 below refers.
Table 3: Examples of the Full Cost of Parking Provision
Affected Party
Costs of Providing Parking
Developers
reduced developable land
construction of bays.
Costs passed on to buyer
8
Mark William Massyn, Robert McGaffin, Francois Viruly, Nicole Hopkins, (2015),"The challenge of
developing higher density, affordable housing in the inner city of Cape Town", International Journal of
Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 8 Issue 3 pp. 412 – 428. Permanent link to this document:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-11-2014-0049
9
City of Cape Town, 2018, Existing Policy Analysis for Alignment with Transit Oriented Development
Principles, World Bank
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Owners
If owner-occupant, costs include maintenance and rates
Alternatively, costs are passed on to tenants.
Tenants
Pay a higher price for "lettable" area per unit
pay directly per bay
Consumers
Pay a higher price for goods / services traded
Taxpayer
Decreased development densities due to land used for
parking could increase the cost of providing municipal
services, causing upward pressure on rates or taxes
Environment
additional traffic generates carbon emissions, parking areas
intensify run-off, heat islands
There is a need for greater recognition that the provision of parking in a manner which
does not reflect its real cost to the social, economic and environmental fabric of a
city, results in a subsidisation of private vehicle use over other travel modes and over
other land uses.
Growing demand for long-term parking within established economic centres
The high demand for long term parking in established economic centres reflects a
pattern of commuting which is dependent on individual car use, which is
unsustainable from an economic, social and environmental perspective. Currently
53% of commuters (to work and education) use the private car
10
, with an average
occupancy rate of 1.4
11
. Commuters in particular should be encouraged to shift
towards either working from home (where that is possible), or more sustainable modes
of travelling such as public transport, walking, cycling (or other form of NMT) or
ridesharing. The current adequate supply of cheap (or unmanaged) parking
discourages this shift.
The decline of the rail service has had a significant impact on the lack of progress in
this modal shift, and, from a parking perspective, in the utilisation of the Park & Ride
facilities provided at the time of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. However, the Park & Ride
facilities at certain MyCiTi stations are well-utilised and sometimes oversubscribed, or
shared with other users, and this needs better management.
Once the rail service does improve, Park & Ride facilities (for bicycles and motorbikes
as well as cars) will require better management and maintenance, which is currently
lacking, funded in a way that is not punitive to the public transport user who utilizes it,
and which prioritises safety and security.
The private provision of bicycle and motorcycle parking is currently not a requirement,
let alone incentivised by the City.
10
City of Cape Town, 2018: Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan 2018-2023
11
City of Cape Town, 2015: Cape Town State of Energy Report 2015
15 | P a g e
Congestion into established centres is growing
The 2018 cordon count of all light motor vehicles entering the CT CBD between 6am
and 9am recorded more than 70 000 vehicles per day. More work is needed to
establish the numbers which are simply “passing through”, but many of those destined
for the CBD would be parking informally – outside of the managed parking areas and
the privately provided parking identified in section 1.2.1 above.
The provision and management of parking is a significant factor in modal choice, and
hence in managing congestion
12
. The conventional approach to parking provision
and management (both public and private) has not considered the impact it has on
exacerbating congestion.
In some cities, recognition of the real cost of parking has led to punitive long-term
parking costs being used as a congestion management tool. However, this approach
does rely on viable alternative travel options being available which are not adversely
affected by congestion.
Lack of Accommodation of new travel modes
Current and future developments in the transport sector, such as paratransit, e-hailing
and ridesharing, which require convenient drop-and-go embayments have not been
adequately catered for in the public right of way and in private developments. There
is an increased use of delineated parking bays, un-delineated areas and pedestrian
sidewalks by e-hailing cars and delivery motorbikes.
Further, there is currently no parking incentive to adopt more sustainable transport
modes such as ridesharing, electric vehicles (EVs), NMT and motorbikes, as per the
Travel Demand Management Strategy, the Resilience Strategy and the Climate
Change Policy. A more pro-active approach is needed to encourage and reinforce
sustainable transport modes including new generation mobility such as EVs.
12
European Conference of Ministers of Transport, 20017, Managing Urban Traffic Congestion, OECD; Gary
Haq, John Whitelegg, Steve Cinderby, Daniel Johnson, 2004, Intelligent Travel: Personalised Travel
Planning in the City of York, SEI; Donald C. Shoup, 1999, The trouble with minimum parking requirements,
Transportation Research Part A 33 (1999) 549-574, Pergamon
16 | P a g e
Fig 2: Examples of favourable accommodation of lift-clubbing (in Edmonton), e-hailing
(in Chadstone) and electric vehicles (in Vancouver), motorbikes (USA) and bicycles
(Australia)
A lack of equity of parking provision
There has been a lack of equity of parking provision, with inadequate protection of
reserved bays (eg disabled bays and loading bays) from mis-use. There has also been
inadequate provision of bays / facilities for bicycle and motorbike parking.
In particular, disabled bays are frequently used by short-stay parking users due to a
misconception that disabled users are exempt from paying parking fees. The capacity
for the enforcement of the illegal use of disabled bays is limited. The conditions of issue
and use of the disabled disc have been misunderstood, and either misused, or not
accessed by valid users. Disabled bays do not always conform to the regulations
required for a disabled parking bay due to lack of space.
Bus bays, enabling the safe loading of passengers, are also used by short stay parking
users in order to avoid parking tariffs which impacts negatively on bus operations.
Lack of facilities for long distance city to city bus services have resulted in informal
“stops” for the collection and drop-off of passengers at the road side. Bus bays are
used by private/informal taxi operators as waiting zones, causing disruption to
scheduled bus services when buses arrive.
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Fig 3: Examples of bus and loading bays being abused by private vehicles in Cape
Town
Economic activity can suffer if not easily accessed by customers and delivery
vehicles
Many businesses need on-street loading facilities, and short term parking for their
customers / clients. Loading bays are frequently used by short stay parking users in
order to avoid parking tariffs. Enforcement of the illegal use of loading bays is limited
due to limited enforcement capacity. Inadequate use of former laneways, servitudes
and alleys (due to these being gated) is a lost opportunity for loading bays away from
normal parking or movement.
Poor management of parking in the public right of way
In managed parking bays, time limits are regularly ignored due to limited enforcement
capacity by Traffic Services. There is a resultant high level of non-payment for priced
parking. While there are currently administrative compliance mechanisms for bays in
managed parking areas, there are limited enforcement options to support this. Table
4 below refers.
This also impacts on public transport services in bus/minibus taxi (BMT) lanes which
should be free of parking during the peak periods as stipulated on the accompanying
signage.
Time limits and tariffs can improve parking turnover, but do cause drivers to park
elsewhere, resulting in spill-over parking into areas adjacent to managed parking
areas.
Table 4: Incidence of non-compliant parking in managed parking areas (2019)
BUSINESS
DISTRICT
NO. OF BAYS
AV. NO OF VEHICLES
EXCEEDING TIME LIMITS
PER MONTH
AV. VEHICLES
TRANSGRESSING PER
BAY PER MONTH
Cape Town
2 080
21 500
10.3
Bellville
544
5 078
9.3
Sea Point
352
2 557
7.3
Claremont
261
830
3.2
TOTAL
3 237
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Outside of managed parking areas, informal “parking management” by informal
parking attendants is common-place.
Where the City has provided dedicated, marked cycle lanes, these are sometimes
occupied by casual parkers and delivery vehicles making deliveries / pick-ups.
Problems are also experienced with managed or unmanaged off-street parking. These
problems include: significant urban decay due to anti-social behaviour, crime, lack of
cleaning, illegal dumping and infrastructure decay, and this affects the surrounding
land users; it should be generating revenue for the City, but instead it is often a drain
on resources due to maintenance and enforcement required; and the design and
management of parking areas are usually not in support of environmental
sustainability or a climate-adaptive, resilient city.
Inefficient use of off-street structured parking
There is a lack of information on availability of parking which results in drivers searching
for parking, increasing traffic congestion and air pollution. While the more efficient use
of parking bays could result in greater trip generation, it could result in developers
reducing their parking provision and promoting shared parking.
The conversion of current parking garage space to other uses is hampered by
structural and design aspects such as floor to roof height. In some buildings, body
corporate regulations or lease conditions currently prohibit the “unbundling” of
privately-held parking bays to allow owners/tenants to on-sell or on-lease their
unused/unrequired bays to other tenants or CBD users with greater demand. This
results in an over-supply of parking.
13
Misuse of parking permits and reserved parking
Permits are issued for Medical Parking, Residents Parking, Temporary Parking, Work
Zone, Construction, Film and Events and Municipal Work Parking. Special Events
Permits have been introduced in Green Point area and are only valid on event days
at the Cape Town Stadium. Provision is made for reserved parking bays for the
disabled, diplomatic corps and SAPS. This however should not be confused with the
exemptions from payment for parking. Reserved parking bays are often illegally used
by short-stay parking users due to limited enforcement capacity.
Lack of environmentally responsible design and functions
There are currently no requirements to provide environmentally responsible parking,
where parking is required. This includes only the authority to promote water sensitive
urban design for out-door parking areas; water and energy efficient parking garages;
greening of parking areas (to reduce the heat island effect and support biodiversity);
solar panels on parking roofs; and making provision for charging facilities for Electronic
Vehicles.
13
Litman, T, 2011, Parking Management Strategies, Evaluation and Planning, Victoria Transport Policy
Institute
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Parking often detracts from place-making and a “sense of place”
14
, despite existing
policies and guidelines on how it can enhance the public realm, such as the Urban
Design Policy which encourages the creation of positive public realm and streetscape.
Fig 4: Examples of permeable paving (United Kingdom) and a solar parking lot
(California)
Lack of data on current parking patterns
Mechanisms do not yet exist to capture the usage patterns of bays in managed
parking areas; to capture the number and type of parking violations per area or the
offence rate; to measure the impact of the PT areas on parking provision; or to
measure private parking provision in relation to the Development Management
Scheme requirements in terms or rates and ability to be converted. At the same time,
technology exists to accurately track user movements, but is expensive to process this
information into aggregated data (as it needs to processed manually at this stage).
Regulatory context
The following legislation and By-laws provide the principles and tools relating
specifically to on-street and off-street parking: its provision, management, regulation,
enforcement and pricing. The Constitution also requires equity for all users in the
system.
Legislation and by-laws
• National Land Transport Act, 2009 (Act No. 5 of 2009) (NLTA)
• National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996) (NRTA)
• Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Act, 2007 (Act No. 12 of 2007) (MFPFA)
• Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000) (MSA)
• Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (Act No. 56 of
2003)
• Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act, 2004 (Act No. 6 of 2004)
• Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, 2013 (Act No. 16 of 2013)
(SPLUMA)
14
This is a well-used term in urban design: it means that the environment is congruent / consistent / legible,
and reflects heritage and memory. For example, it would detract from the “sense of place” of the Castle
of Good Hope if it were surrounded by a huge parking area, rather than a moat….
20 | P a g e
• Western Cape Land Use Planning Act, 2014 (Act No. 3 of 2014) (LUPA)
• City of Cape Town’s By-law relating to Streets, Public Places and the Prevention
of Noise Nuisances, 2007
• City of Cape Town’s Traffic By-law, 2011
• City of Cape Town’s Parking By-law, 2010
• City of Cape Town’s Municipal Planning By-law, 2015 (as amended)
Strategies, policies and guidelines
• National Transport Master Plan 2050
• National Land Transport Strategic Framework 2017 – 2022
National Green Transport Strategy (2018-2050)
• Provincial Road Access Management Guidelines (2002)
• Provincial Spatial Development Framework (2009)
• Provincial Land Transport Framework 2011 – 2016
• City of Cape Town’s Integrated Public Transport Network Plan (2014)
• City of Cape Town’s Transit-oriented Development Strategic Framework (2016)
• City of Cape Town’s Travel Demand Management Strategy (2017)
• Cape Town Municipal Spatial Development Framework (2018)
• City of Cape Town’s Urban Design Policy (2013)
• City of Cape Town’s Tall Buildings Policy (2013)
• City of Cape Town’s Design and Management Guidelines for a Safer City (2015)
• Cape Town Resilience Strategy (2019)
• City of Cape Town’s Climate Change Policy (2017)
Environmental Strategy for the City of Cape Town (2017)
• City of Cape Town’s Cycling Strategy (2017)
• Cape Town Densification Policy (2012)
Historic policies and strategies that applied to the City or part thereof, such as the
Policies to Manage Parking and Loading in the Central City Area (1991) and the Interim
Pricing Strategy and Policy Framework (2001) were already informed by international
practice and addressed parking in a comprehensive manner.
Parking Policy parameters
This Policy is a comprehensive, city-wide parking policy to direct parking provision,
management, regulation, enforcement and pricing. It affects a wide range of
people, organisations and locations as it aims to influence travel behaviour - when
and where people travel by car and other transport modes.
This policy is structured along the following main parking categories: on-street parking,
off-street parking, Park & Ride facilities, reserved parking, parking permits and bicycle
and motorcycle parking (see descriptions in table 5 below).
Table 5: Overview of the main parking categories
Theme
Description
On-street parking
• Kerb side parking (marked and un-marked).
• Priced parking with time limits in managed parking areas.
Off-street parking
• City- and privately-owned (which includes new
developments).
• Consists of open parking, shaded parking or parking
garages.
21 | P a g e
• Can be reserved for single use or be accessible for casual
users.
Park & Ride facilities
• Dedicated off-street parking in close proximity to public
transport.
Reserved bays
• Allows for a particular use or mode, e.g. loading and
unloading of goods; public bus stopping and parking;
cars transporting people with disabilities; EV parking and
charging bays.
Parking permits
• Can be located both on-street and off-street.
• Allows for the exclusive use by a particular user.
• Medical Parking Permit, Resident Parking Permits,
Temporary Parking Permit, Work Zone Permit and
Municipal Work Parking Permit.
• Includes exclusive use parking for the diplomatic corps,
South African Police Services and other identified groups.
Bicycle and
motorcycle parking
• Racks at public transport stations and high demand
locations.
• Demarcated bays provided on-street and off-street.
2 Policy Statement
Parking Policy Principles
Based on the direction provided by the existing regulatory context, and the problems
identified above, the following policy principles (see table 6 below) have been
developed to direct the policy directives, actions and implementation framework.
Table 6: Parking Policy Principles
Policy Principles
Policy Elements
1. Public parking is
part of the public
right of way.
Public parking is part of the public space and must be
shared equitably between different users.
Different demands on public street space must be resolved
in terms of the following ranking:
1. Pedestrian and other NMT facilities.
2. Public transport access during peak periods.
3. Private car access during peak periods.
4. Short-term parking (less than 2 hours).
5. Reserved bays (public transport, loading, disabled,
etc.).
6. Public transport access outside peak hours.
7. Private car access outside peak hours.
8. Long term parking (more than 2 hours).
2. Parking supply
and demand must
be managed in
terms of location,
duration and
allocation.
In areas with high parking demand for short term parking,
the City may introduce managed parking to achieve
higher turn-over of users
Long-stay users (more than 2 hours) must be encouraged
to park on the fringe of urban nodes and CBD areas or use
alternative modes of transport.
22 | P a g e
Reserved parking bays (loading bays, bus bays and bays
for the disabled) must only be used by the designated
users.
3. Parking provision
and managed
parking must
promote public
transport use,
reduce private
car dependency
and promote
environmental
sustainability
Parking provision and managed parking must support the
City’s TDM Strategy to support public transport use and
address private car dependency.
Parking bay provision in an area should be provided
proportionately based on evidence of the modal split.
Parking provision should be environmentally responsible
and adaptable towards promoting sustainable land
management, water management and climate change
mitigation and adaptation, supporting ecosystems
services, and promoting the use of EVs.
4. Parking
management
must support local
economic
activity.
Parking in commercial areas such as CBD areas, must be
prioritised for short term parking users (less than or equal to
2 hours) to support businesses.
Loading bays should only be used for loading purposes
during business hours.
5. Decision-making
regarding off-
street parking
requirements must
be consistent.
Decision making regarding off-street parking requirements
for new developments must be applied consistently
according to the rules provided across the districts of the
City.
6. Use of on-street
and public off-
street parking
areas must be in
accordance with
the City’s By-laws.
Regular enforcement of on-street and public off-street
parking violations and areas is required in terms of the
City’s Parking By-law, the By-law relating to Streets, Public
Places and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances, and the
Traffic By-law.
Ensure mutual support between the administrative and
legal mechanisms of enforcement in a manner which
reduces the administrative cost to the parker and to the
City.
Desired outcomes
These Parking Policy principles will be applied in pursuit of the following desired
outcomes in the long term. The desired outcomes below support the identified policy
principles (PP) above, and guide the indicators for monitoring performance of the
Policy.
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Strategic alignment
This Parking Policy is in alignment with the IDP and its five Strategic Focus Areas (SFA’s)
through the following actions:
Opportunity City: Directs turnover of parking bays in high parking demand areas.
Safe City: Directs implementation of safe facilities for vulnerable road users
who are most exposed to harm, like those using non-motorised
transport (NMT).
Caring City: Directs a new system to access reserved parking for vulnerable
groups like the disabled.
Inclusive City: Directs a comprehensive approach to parking for the City’s
area.
Well-run City: Directs management and enforcement of violations in terms of
City By-laws.
The strategic significance of this Policy is that it will be an important component of the
City’s overarching policy framework. This Policy provides alignment between the City’s
vision and higher order strategies and the existing parking mechanisms (the DMS,
managed parking practice, Park & Ride facilities, the Parking By-law and the Tariff
book). This strategic significance is reflected in the Figure 1 below.
The City will strive for an environment which promotes:
1. Equity of access between users: The design and use of public street space ensures equity and
accessibility between users of different modes, addressing car dominance (Policy Principle 1)
2. Public Transport Use and reduced private car dependency: Residents have multiple transport
options to access key nodes and reliance on private vehicles is reduced (Policy Principle 3)
3. Local Economic Activity: Parking in commercial nodes is used optimally to facilitate economic
activity, enhancing the ease of access by employees and customers, as well as suppliers
requiring loading bays, and supporting safe, vibrant public streets and pedestrian spaces
(Policy Principle 4)
4. Well regulated and managed parking environment: Where the rules associated with on- street
and off-street parking are well understood by the public and contraventions of these rules are
dealt with effectively and consistently. (Policy Principles 2, 5, 6)
5. Parking provision that is respectful of heritage features (where parking is located on historic
sites), environmentally responsible and contributes to the City’s resilience initiatives. (Policy
Principle 3)
24 | P a g e
Figure 1: Strategic alignment of the parking mechanisms with the City’s vision
3 Parking Policy Directives
The parking policy directives have been derived from the parking problems identified in the
Introduction and the Strategic Intent of the City. The policy directives provide policies and actions
to address public parking enforcement, managed parking, off-street parking, Park-and-Ride
facilities, exclusive use bays, bus bays, bicycle and motorcycle parking, and parking permits.
Enforcement of Public Parking Policy Directives
Policy Directive 1: Undertake regular enforcement of on-street and public off-street
parking violations and areas to ensure compliance with the City’s By-laws.
Improved enforcement of on-street and public off-street parking violations and areas is required
to address parking violations and crime as well as anti-social behaviour in parking areas. The
current Tariff provides for two stages of administrative mechanisms to enhance compliance. The
first is to advise the parker of non-compliance, and request payment. The follow-up stage after
Climate Change Policy
Resilience Strategy
CT
MSDF
TOD Strategic Framework
IDP
25 | P a g e
repeated non-payment can result in a punitive measure of wheel-clamping, requiring a release
fee, in addition to payment of outstanding fees.
Where non-compliance persists, referral to the municipal courts is necessary. A standard
operating procedure is needed to outline how all stakeholders and mechanisms relating to
parking enforcement can operate optimally to address persistent parking violations in the most
cost-effective and streamlined manner. Ultimately, where parking violations persist, punitive
actions will need to be taken in a cost-effective and streamlined manner.
Action 1.1 The City to undertake regular enforcement of on-street and public off-street parking
violations and areas in terms of the City’s Parking By-law (2010), the By-law relating
to Streets, Public Places and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances (2007), and the
Traffic By-law (2011).
Action 1.2 Investigate and establish options for Parking Management Service Providers to play
a role in enhancing compliance with applicable parking rules within managed
parking areas, with a particular focus on minor contraventions
15
, given the extensive
demands on existing law enforcement and traffic personnel.
Action 1.3 Develop a standard operating procedure which translates these policy principles
into clear operating guidelines for the relevant City officials and Parking
Management Service Providers to enforce parking violations in a manner which
supports administrative justice as well as administrative efficiency.
Action 1.4 Investigate the utilisation of technology in managed parking areas to assist in the
recording of violations and support the issuing of penalties and fines.
Managed Parking Policy Directives
Policy Directive 2: Improve payment rate for parking in managed parking areas.
Parking pricing per spatial allocation and zone regulation, as well as time limits are important
managed parking mechanisms in order to enhance turnover of parking bays and ensure access
to limited parking in high parking demand areas. Non-payment and exceeding the time limits
should be the exception rather than the practice.
Action 2.1 Introduce new technologies and enforcement methods, including licence plate
recognition, wheel clamping and towing away, to aid enforcement, violations and
administrative penalties in managed parking areas.
Action 2.2 Expand enforcement capacity in parking management areas with the inclusion of
Law Enforcement Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements in support of
parking management contracts.
15
These will need to be defined in the proposed Standard Operating Procedures document
26 | P a g e
Policy Directive 3: Adapt the payment to a cashless system only (eg. Europay,
MasterCard and or Visa (EMV) compliant smart cards or mobile applications) in
priced parking areas.
A cashless system enables an audit trail which is required in order to comply with the MFMA.
Electronic payment in priced parking areas with a range of cashless payment options will make
payment easier and more secure for parking users. The introduction of a smart card, which can
be used for multiple services such as public transport and parking, will also support easy payment
when parking.
Action 3.1 Implement the cashless payment system.
Action 3.2 Introduce a mobile payment and information application as a payment method
and as a means of providing the public with information on the location of available
parking in managed parking areas.
Policy Directive 4: Communicate with the public on the benefits of managed parking.
Public support for managed parking can be increased when the benefits of parking pricing and
time limits are clearly defined and communicated to the public. Increased public support for
managed parking may assist in reducing opposition to it, and hence reduce objections when
enforcement is improved with pricing and time limits being strictly enforced. New technology
enables real time information on the location of available parking in managed parking areas.
This technology is based on the integration of information from parking bay sensors, street
navigation systems and cell phone applications.
Action 4.1 Provide information on the purpose and benefits of managed parking on the City’s
web page.
Policy Directive 5: Expand managed parking areas with the implementation of parking
management contracts.
Managed parking consists of parking pricing and time limits and is an important mechanism to
manage parking demand. The introduction of new or expanded managed parking must be
considered in areas that generate a significant influx of private vehicles. Annexure A provides
directives for the spatial delineation and implementation of managed parking areas.
Action 5.1 Identify and implement new / expanded areas for managed parking using the
guidelines included as Annexure A.
Action 5.2 Develop and implement the parking management tender for the management of on-
street and public off-street parking areas that conform to the checklist created for
Parking Management Centres as per Annexure A.
Action 5.3 Implement on-street and off-street managed parking in close proximity to road and
rail based public transport stations and stops, public transport interchanges and at
Park and Ride areas.
Action 5.4 Investigate the allocation of additional income generated from managed parking to
the Municipal Land Transport Fund (MLTF) in terms of the provisions in the NLTA.
Action 5.5 Incorporate public land leased to the private sector and managed as priced parking
areas into the parking management contracts.
27 | P a g e
Policy Directive 6: Implement performance, utilisation and land use based pricing as a
new pricing strategy.
On-street parking is generally the most convenient form of parking as short term parking users can
park in close proximity to their destinations. Parking pricing is an important element in managed
parking areas as the number of on-street parking bays are limited and demand may exceed the
supply. The concept of directive pricing ensures that the tariffs in an area are informed by the
preferred demand levels. Land uses and activities in the area also inform pricing in terms of
desired timeframe usage and cost increases over time. This allows for variable tariffs in a
managed parking area and supports the optimal use of parking bays in the area. Annexure B
provides guidelines for the implementation of directive pricing.
Action 6.1 Implement directive pricing in managed parking areas in accordance with the
criteria set out in Annexure B.
Off-street Parking Policy Directives
Policy Directive 7: Periodically review and Implement reduced parking requirements to
facilitate new development and address private car dependency and emissions
proactively, whilst preserving the transport and urban environment.
As parking provision comes at a financial and land cost, reduced parking requirements in specific
situations will support new development. Reduced off-street parking requirements should be
applied where demand is lower due to limited vehicle ownership and use as well as in areas
where public transport is available. Reduced parking requirements in areas where public
transport services are available can assist to break the cycle of private car dependency and
assist with establishing more sustainable travel patterns.
Action 7.1 Update the areas deemed to be PT1 and PT2 areas and implement as per the Council
system of delegations.
Action 7.2 Periodically review and update the minimum off-street parking requirements for
Standard Areas, PT1 Areas and PT2 Areas as required in the DMS, and to align with
the City’s goals relating to modal shift, carbon reduction and increased resilience.
Action 7.3 Investigate the implementation of maximum parking standards and a parking levy in
addition to the existing minimum parking requirements, and the reasonable
conditions under which these mechanisms would be applied.
Action 7.4 Investigate and develop mechanisms to encourage the private provision of facilities
for tour bus boarding and alighting, EV charging, e-hailing and lift-clubbing for
buildings, schools and precincts, including “drop and go” embayments (eg porte-
couchère) at an entrance, while maintaining a pedestrian-friendly environment and
designing for safe, vibrant public streets and sidewalks.
Action 7.5 Investigate and develop mechanisms with appropriate incentives to encourage
preferential parking for high occupancy vehicles and EVs in buildings and precincts.
Action 7.6 Investigate a mechanism to encourage basement parking in established centres (as
per Annexure A).
28 | P a g e
Action 7.7 Investigate mechanisms to not only encourage developers to make provision for a
percentage of parking for more sustainable vehicle types, but also to incentivize their
use.
Action 7.8 Investigate and develop mechanisms to encourage planting of suitable additional
trees within parking areas as a means to adapt to climate change by creating more
shade and reducing heat, without compromising parking operational requirements.
Policy Directive 8: Support land-use and building plan applications for the development
of remote parking in proximity to urban nodes.
The limited availability of off-street private parking results in increased use of on-street parking.
Parking provided as part of developments is usually private for a single user, resulting in inefficient
use of space. The provision of remote parking on the fringe of urban nodes with a high parking
demand provides the opportunity to increase parking and to share parking with other users. This
keeps high demand areas accessible for short stay users and also limits vehicular traffic and spill-
over parking into adjacent residential areas. The remote parking needs to be connected to the
urban node through frequent public transport services.
Action 8.1 Support land-use and building plan applications for the development of unallocated
off-street parking in proximity to (but on the periphery of) major urban nodes
(connected with the node through frequent public transport services), to be identified
in the Parking Management Business plan as per Annexure A.
Action 8.2: Require parking that is environmentally responsible and multi-functional where
feasible. Parking areas should embrace the concept of water sensitive urban design
(WSUD) and link with the City’s green infrastructure planning to support long term
resilience of the city.
Policy Directive 9: Implement design requirements that will enable the future conversion
of on-site structured parking into other land-uses.
Appropriate design requirements must be determined that will enable the future conversion of on-site
structured parking (or a percentage thereof) into other land-uses. This provides the flexibility to convert
valuable floor space used for parking into other land-uses when quality public transport is introduced.
Action 9.1 Determine and implement appropriate design requirements that will enable the future
conversion of on-site structured parking into other land-uses.
Park & Ride Policy Directives
Policy Directive 10: Provide a high quality customer experience at Park & Ride facilities.
Park & Ride facilities need to provide a high quality customer experience to enable a modal shift
from private vehicle to public transport services or to rideshare arrangements. To provide a quality
customer experience at Park & Ride facilities, the following aspects need to be addressed: safety
and security, frequency and reliability of the public transport service, regular maintenance,
availability of parking, well-located in relation to public open space and active land use, and
parking areas should be environmentally responsible and multi-purpose where appropriate.
Private vehicle users searching for Park & Ride parking should be able to park on a regular day.
When parking is not available at Park & Ride facilities, new users may not be attracted and
existing users may not be retained. High parking demand at Park & Ride facilities may indicate a
demand for suitable feeder services.
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Action 10.1 Improve security at Park & Ride facilities with contracted security and CCTV
coverage for the duration of the public transport services.
Action 10.2 Implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with PRASA to
improve the frequency and operational hours of rail services to well utilised Park &
Ride facilities.
Action 10.3 Implement a 3-year Park & Ride maintenance programme for regular maintenance of
Park & Ride facilities.
Action 10.4 Investigate and implement a cost-based user charge (to offset costs of management,
including safety) in terms of the Tariff book for the use of Park & Ride facilities.
Action 10.5 implement the expansion of Park & Ride facilities where the parking demand
regularly exceeds the parking provided, as identified spatially in a Park & Ride plan.
Action 10.6 Investigate the introduction of feeder services to Park & Ride facilities where the
parking demand regularly exceeds the parking provided.
Action 10.7 Develop a strategy for the future provision and expansion of Park & Ride facilities
with consideration of improved public transport services, or encouraging
ridesharing, and considering environmentally-responsible designs such as water
sensitive urban design (WSUD), and multi-functional use. Parking areas should,
where feasible, retain or introduce links with the City’s green infrastructure planning
to support long term resilience of the city.
Action 10.8 Institutionalise the City’s TOD Strategic Framework in order for the relevant
Departments (e.g. Development Management) to facilitate TOD land-use at highly
utilised Park & Ride facilities
Policy Directive 11: Reserve Park & Ride parking for public transport users.
Private vehicle users should be encouraged to use Park & Ride facilities. In areas where Park &
Ride facilities are located next to office and retail activities that generate parking demand, the
access to Park & Ride facilities should be restricted to public transport ticket holders only.
Action 11.1 Investigate and implement restricted access to Park & Ride facilities where other
land-use activities result in a shortage of parking for public transport users.
Reserved Bay Policy Directives
Policy Directive 12: Improve enforcement to eliminate the illegal use of all reserved
parking bays.
On-street reserved bays are often illegally used by short term parking users, hampering efficient
operations. There is a need to augment the number of stakeholders and the mechanisms
available for the purpose of managing parking and actively recording and addressing persistent
parking violations. This expanded approach is to be provided for in the standard operating
procedure mentioned in Policy Directive 1 above to address the illegal use of reserved bays.
Action 12.1 Introduce new technologies and enforcement methods, including licence plate
recognition, wheel clamping and towing away, to record violations and aid
enforcement and administrative penalties for the illegal use of reserved bays
outside of managed parking areas, in a manner which promotes administrative
justice.
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Action 12.2 Introduce new technologies and enforcement methods, including licence plate
recognition, wheel clamping and towing away, to record violations and aid
enforcement and administrative penalties for the illegal use of reserved bays in
managed parking areas, in a manner which promotes administrative justice.
Policy Directive 13: Improve the availability and efficient use of loading bays by bona
fide goods vehicles.
Sufficient loading bays are required in order to support efficient loading operations. The City must
improve the availability of on-street loading bays, address off-street loading capacity and
implement loading management plans where necessary.
Action 13.1 On-site loading bays and a loading management plan should be encouraged with a
change of land-use for retail purposes.
Action 13.2 Encourage land owners which generate the demand for staging of goods vehicles to
provide parking areas with facilities (ablution and security).
Policy Directive 14: Investigate the provision of appropriately located and designed
facilities for long distance and tour bus services.
Operators provide tour bus services to the major tourist destinations in Cape Town. Some of these
destinations are in high-traffic areas; others have space constraints.
Operators provide long distance bus services connecting to all major cities in South Africa.
Facilities which are appropriately located on the road network and which includes a waiting
room, ablution, security and bus bays for long distance transport must be provided.
Action 14.1 Investigate locations for stopping and staging for tourist buses in high demand areas
and implement a process to address requests.
Action 14.2 Investigate the provision of facilities for long distance bus services with bus bays,
waiting room, ablution and security where passengers can be collected and depart.
Parking Permits and Reserved Parking Policy Directives
Policy Directive 15: Implement a new parking permit and parking pricing for the disabled
to resolve abuse of reserved parking for the disabled.
Abuse of reserved parking bays for the disabled must be addressed through an improved
administrative system, priced parking in managed parking areas and enforcement. Currently
parking for the disabled is abused by able-bodied users, which includes the illegal use of invalid
discs for the disabled. A parking permit for the disabled will be a temporary permit and will
contain the user’s certified information on a disc. The disc will be linked to a specific vehicle or
more than one vehicle if required. The disc will be required to be renewed annually.
To qualify for a parking permit for the disabled, a person will require a letter from a medical
practitioner (doctor with MBChB or equivalent) that is registered with the Health Professions
Council of South Africa confirming that:
A person’s mobility is severely impaired by an on-going physical or mental condition, or
A person’s mobility is temporarily, but severely impaired.
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Action 15.1 Implement the new parking permit for the disabled
Action 15.2 Continue to implement priced parking for the use of parking for the disabled in
managed parking areas.
Policy Directive 16: Introduce a Resident Parking Permit system in managed and
unmanaged parking areas such as where access and parking is restricted during
special events only, or where there is encroachment from adjacent non-residential
land uses.
Resident Parking Permits may be issued to residents that do not have access to off-street parking
or where access and parking is restricted during special events. The parking permit will be set at
a fee to cover administration and enforcement costs and to compensate for the use of on-street
parking. In areas where access and parking is restricted during special events, Resident Parking
Permits will only be valid on event days. Resident Parking Permits should not allow residents
exclusive use of a particular bay but rather permission to park in an area/zone deemed for
residents’ parking.
Action 16.1 Establish an administrative system for the issuing of Resident Parking Permits to
residents who qualify, based on qualification guidelines to be set in the Parking
Management Business Plan or the Tariff book.
Action 16.2 Apply the tariffs for Resident Parking Permits in terms of the guidelines to be set in
the Parking Management Business Plan or the Tariff book.
Action 16.3. Determine the number of Resident Parking Permits to be issued per area using the
guidelines to be set in the Parking Management Business Plan or the Tariff book.
Policy Directive 17: Introduce an incentive that allows parkers to get a discount in
identified bays in identified zones within managed parking areas if parking for up to
15min.
Develop a discount that will apply to parkers paying with the integrated electronic payment
system parking for up to 15mins in designated bays. The discount should encourage short stays
and high turnover for businesses.
Action 17.1 Develop a discount system that provides for a discount in selected bays for parkers
parking for up to 15min paying with the integrated electronic payment system, as
per the Tariff book.
Policy Directive 18: Earmark parking temporarily through the hiring out of parking bays at
the applicable tariff in terms of the Tariff book.
The City may hire out demarcated and non-demarcated bays (including loading bays and other
reserved parking bays) for film, events and construction purposes at the applicable tariff in terms
of the Tariff book.
Action 18.1 Apply the applicable tariff in terms of the Tariff book for the rental use of parking
bays (including loading bays and other reserved parking bays) for film, events and
construction purposes.
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Bicycle and Motorcycle Parking Policy Directives
Policy Directive 19: Implement bicycle and motorcycle parking in support of the TDM
Strategy and sustainable modes of transport.
Bicycle and motorcycle parking should be provided to support the City’s TDM Strategy and
encourage more sustainable modes of transport. In addition, bicycle parking facilities support
the City’s improvement in the cycle network.
Action 19.1 Implement bicycle racks for bicycle parking, in areas where cycle ways have been
implemented and at locations with a regular demand for bicycle parking.
Action 19.2 Investigate the implementation, maintenance and management requirements of
enclosed and lockable bicycle storage facilities such as bike sheds and boxes at
Public Transport Interchanges.
Action 19.3 Identify and demarcate motorcycle parking bays through the conversion of parking
bays in areas with high demand for motorcycle parking.
Action 19.4 Introduce priced parking for motorcycles in managed parking areas at the
applicable tariff in terms of the Tariff book.
Protecting the Public Right of Way Policy Directives
Policy Directive 20: Illegal parking on sidewalks, in demarcated cycle lanes or elsewhere
outside of parking bays obstructs pedestrian and cycle movement must be
enforced by the City in terms of the applicable City By-laws.
Where vehicles are parked illegally on sidewalks, in demarcated cycle lanes or elsewhere outside
of parking bays, e.g. where red or yellow regulatory lines prohibit stopping or parking, or where
bus stop signage prohibits parking, such vehicles obstruct NMT routes and bus stop facilities. NMT
users are forced to move into the road space, and buses are forced to stop outside of bus stops,
affecting pedestrians moving to or from bus stops, which is a road safety concern where
enforcement is required.
Adequate enforcement legislation is in place through the appropriate City By-laws and Triffs, but
civil enforcement mechanisms to support this (and which support administrative justice) should
be investigated.
Action 20.1 Use the C3 notification system or the 107 hotline, to enable the public to report
serious repeat transgressions of illegal parking on sidewalks, in demarcated cycle
lanes or elsewhere outside of parking bays where parking is prohibited.
Action 20.2 Investigate mechanisms to best protect pedestrian and cycle movement from
illegal parking through physical design interventions.
Action 20.3 Investigate civil enforcement mechanisms from parking transgressions outside of
parking bays, mindful of preserving administrative justice.
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Policy Directive 21: In areas with high pedestrian volumes (or expected volumes), identify
and implement pedestrian zones where parking could be restricted.
Building on the lessons from existing pedestrian zones and in support of the City’s carbon free
commitments, investigate the implementation of pedestrian zones in areas of high pedestrian
movement (or expected movement), where car parking would be restricted in favour of other
users.
Action 21.1 Investigate the implementation of pedestrian zones.
Policy Directive 22: In areas of high public transport volumes, identify and implement
transit malls where parking could be restricted.
In support of the City’s carbon free commitments, investigate the implementation of transit malls
in areas of high public transport and NMT volumes (or potential volumes), where car parking
could be restricted in favour of other modes.
Action 22.1 Investigate the implementation of transit malls.
4 Roles and Responsibilities
Parking includes a range of parking categories and the Parking Policy therefore affects a wide
range of role players and stakeholders. The City is the most significant role player in the parking
system as it directs parking from a number of different roles as indicated in Table 7 below.
Table 7: Role of the City in the parking system
City’s Role
Functions
Provider
Provide on-street parking space as part of the integrated transport network.
Provide City-owned off-street parking areas and Park & Ride facilities.
Manager
Manage road space for various purposes, including the allocation of space
for parking and setting the tariffs for the use thereof.
Manage City-owned off-street parking areas and Park and Ride facilities.
Identifies areas for expansion or addition of new managed parking areas,
based on the guidelines of this Policy
The City may act through a parking management service provider (agent)
Regulator
Requirements in the DMS regulate the provision of off-street parking as part
of new developments and enhanced land use rights.
Setting the conditions relating to parking provision.
Facilitator
The City may support developers who are providing shared parking and
reduced parking requirements.
Enforcer
The City is responsible for the drafting, updating and enforcement of the
Parking By-law and other mechanisms for enforcing parking compliance.
Parking provision, management, enforcement and pricing impacts on where people travel and
park and therefore affects a wide range of stakeholders which includes residents, commuters,
visitors, businesses, special user groups (physically disabled people), interest groups such as the
Cape Town Partnership and city improvement districts (CID’s) and local business and residents’
associations.
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5 Implementation Framework
An Implementation Framework has been drafted in conjunction with this revised policy. It has the
status of an action plan which is an internal document and will need to be reviewed and
updated as required.
The Implementation Framework provides direction on how the Policy Actions in the Revised
Parking Policy can be achieved; by whom (and assisted by whom); how success (or unintended
consequences) will be monitored and measured; and through which indicators.
The Implementation Framework includes tables listing each Policy Directive, its related actions,
the responsible departments, the anticipated timeframes, and the current status of
implementation. The level of ease, and of impact, of each action will determine how quickly it
can be completed, and determine the estimated timeframes where possible, or known.
It identifies the Transport, Spatial Planning and Safety and Security Departments in the City as the
primary departments for implementing the revised policy, but this can be updated as the City’s
system of delegations change.
Potential risks that may impede policy implementation
The implementation of the Policy Directives and Actions are subject to the following risks:
The lack of quality rail and minibus taxi transport services, as well as the timeframes
involved in the roll-out of the MyCiTi service characterized by extensive coverage,
frequency, reliability, cleanliness and security, will encourage continued growth in private
vehicle use, and hence parking demand.
The future of the rail service will directly impact on the demand for Park & Ride facilities at
stations.
While PT1 and PT2 Areas identified (and mapped) allow for reduced parking requirements
from the Standard Areas, development in proximity to rail stations is dependent on
improved rail services and station precincts.
Traffic Services, Law Enforcement, Transport Planning and Transport’s Network
Management are identified as the responsible Departments for many of the short and
medium term Actions. A lack of capacity in these Departments will impede
implementation of the Actions.
Improved enforcement of on-street and public off-street parking violations and areas is
dependent on Traffic Services and Law Enforcement, which fall outside of the Transport
Directorate.
Improved enforcement of managed parking areas (where the bulk of enforcement is
required) is dependent on the appointment of a competent parking management service
provider.
Lack of data and monitoring of parking supply and demand (including loading bays, bus
bays and reserved parking) impede informed decision making on parking requirements.
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6 Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Policy Directives and Actions is key in
order to efficiently address parking provision, management, regulation, enforcement and pricing
and support the strategic intent of reduced private vehicle dependency and greater
environmental responsibility. Key Performance Areas (KPA’s) and indicators for monitoring and
evaluation are provided in Table 8 below.
Table 8: Mechanisms to measure the success of this policy
Key Performance Area
Indicators
Greater equity of access to different
users and modes within public
parking
Ratio of parking provision for different users
and modes within public parking
Increased turn-over of parking in
established centres
Trends in short stay parking with turnover in
established centres.
Enable and encourage the private
sector to promote more sustainable
transport forms through parking
provision
Trends in private parking provision
Utilisation of Park & Ride facilities at
bus and rail stations.
High levels of utilisation of Park & ride facilities
at bus and rail stations.
Improved loading operations in
business areas.
Efficient management of loading activities.
Improved enforcement of on-street
and public off-street parking
violations and areas.
Trends in offense rate
Trends in complaints from the public of anti-
social behaviour in public off-street parking
areas.
Data collection and information on
parking supply and demand for
parking categories.
Availability of comprehensive data on
parking supply and demand.
The Implementation Framework provides the necessary detail for effective monitoring and
evaluation to take place. The lead department is identified, which is responsible for collecting,
processing and reporting on the data in support of the indicators identified. They will determine
the unit of measure, as well as the baseline. Timeframes for reporting are set: this will be annual
for short term interventions, and within 3 years for medium to long term interventions.
Areas requiring attention/ investigation
Firstly, it will be important to start tracking the take-up in reduced parking offerings such as
the PT zones, to better understand the impacts of this intervention.
Secondly, the cost of the provision of parking should be shifted to the responsible party. This
requires the City to manage the provision of private parking, particularly within the central
core of managed parking areas. This requires shifting the economic and environmental
cost of providing parking in these areas onto the land owner. These include the costs
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associated with the loss of ecosystem goods and services as result of poorly designed or
managed parking areas. Further research work is needed in this area.
A third area for ongoing investigation will be the emerging trends in travel services,
particularly those enabled through technology, and their impact of parking patterns (for
example e-hailing and in the future, autonomous vehicles).
Some issues have emerged which cannot be addressed at this stage. The first is to do with
encouraging a shift to the rail service through the provision of quality Park & Ride facilities.
This will only gain momentum when the rail is restored to its level of service pre-2012.
The development of a Parking Policy for the City of Cape Town will evolve over time and will be
reviewed periodically to appropriately guide and set the framework for parking provision,
management, regulation, enforcement and pricing. The Policy Working Group will undertake a
review of the Policy after 5 years or as directed by the relevant Portfolio Committee, or as
changes in legislation may require.
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7 Annexures
Annexure A: Guidelines for the Spatial Implementation of Managed Parking
Annexure B: Guidelines for the Pricing of Managed Parking
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Annexure A: Guidelines for the Spatial Implementation of Managed
Parking
1 TOD aligned Parking Provision and Management
“Developing parking policies to support TOD and Smart Growth requires a new
attitude that recognises parking location, cost and supply and demand issues. TOD
aligned Parking Management strategies need to consider economic and financial
feasibility issues, site characteristics, location features and compatibility with
surrounding uses as well as market and regional issues.” (Source: Parking Spaces/
Community Places: Finding the Balance through Smart Growth Solutions- EPA :2006)
The approach and guiding principles (below) for the identification of new
geographical areas for Parking Management and the development of TOD aligned
tariffs has been informed by an analysis of market performance and long term growth
potential of the city’s economic nodes as well as international best practice in relation
to the implementation and management of public parking that is aligned with TDM
and TOD outcomes.
Parking Management areas will be identified and differentiated using available land-
use data as well as indicators such as the number of morning commuter arrivals and
the aggregate value of business properties.
Guiding Principles
1. Differentiated geographic area-based approach to parking management, where
location influences decisions to initiate Parking Management and its associated
price structure.
2. Compound parking tariff structure, where parking becomes significantly more
expensive the longer you stay within a Parking Management centre.
3. Inclusion of incentives and considerations for concentrations of business or retail
activity to promote parking turnover and support business activity in these areas.
4. Expansion of managed parking to residential locations on the edges of business
districts to reduce the impacts of commuters looking for free parking.
5. Provision of residential permits to minimise the impacts of commuter parking for
residents living within locations with parking management.
6. Dispensations for using public transport with reduced parking costs within Park-and-
Ride areas.
7. A portion of parking fees to be reinvested back into the locations in which they
were derived for public space and NMT improvements, which should be identified
and prioritised through stakeholder engagement.
8. Controls to total parking supply by linking annual tariff increases to increases in the
total number of new parking areas provided within areas identified for parking
management.
9. Similar disincentive mechanism for private parking to ensure that demand does
not just shift to private parking.
10. Implementing additional creative congestion mechanisms to further reduce
impacts and encourage sustainable modal shift.
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2 Implications at a Metropolitan Scale
A spatially differentiated approach to the identification of new parking management
areas is to be explained in detail in the Parking Management Business Plan report.
Focussed on applying managed parking strategies at a metropolitan scale, this
approach identifies conceptually and then maps three types of ‘Parking
Management Centres’, each with a similar approach but differentiated pricing model
that acknowledges differences in context and economic activity.
At a metropolitan scale, the management of parking will occur within a hierarchy of
Parking Management Centres where the approach to managing parking will differ in
each centre. The Parking Management Centre categories includes the following:
A (Established Centre)
B (Opportunity Centre)
C (Emerging Centre)
Figure 1: Spatial logic behind Parking Management Centres at the metropolitan scale
2.1 Parking Management Centre A:
Established centers classified as high demand areas that will be managed with the
implementation of maximum parking measures.
Characterised as metropolitan destination nodes situated in an ECAMP
16
growth
zone with high economic outputs where a high percentage of mixed use activities
(predominantly commercial and business) are dominant.
16
ECAMP attempts to identify ‘functional economic geographies’ of formal economic activity and
identifies business districts on the basis of contiguous concentrations of commercial and industrial land
use filtered through technical thresholds such as the number of morning commuter arrivals and an
aggregate value of business properties. The spatial delineation of the original ECAMP area boundaries
was based on available land-use data and adapted where necessary to functional boundaries as
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Serve as major trip attractor areas within development or activity corridors with
existing high parking demand where Public Transport Service routes are already in
operation and multiple modes of public transport are available.
2.2 Parking Management Centre B:
Opportunity centres classified as areas with moderate demand but with the
potential to increase as investment and movement patterns change.
Moderate parking management measures to be implemented in an incremental
manner to facilitate investment in alignment with public transport availability.
A discounted price will apply to this PM centre, and in some cases not all PM zones
types will be delineated in these centres due to contextual nature or applicability.
Characterized as local destination nodes situated in an ECAMP opportunity zone
with moderate economic output where a medium percentage of mixed use
activities (predominantly commercial and business) are present.
Serve as trip attractor areas within or in close proximity to activity corridors with high
to moderate parking need while 2 or more public transport or NMT modes are
readily available.
2.3 Parking Management Centre C:
Emerging centres have been identified in the business plan and classified as low
demand areas situated in an opportunity or transitionary ECAMP zone with low
economic output and limited percentages of mixed-use activities.
These are areas where moderate to low levels of traffic congestion exists with low
parking occupancy rates, predominantly situated within City of Cape Town's
identified integration zones along a local transport service route with only 1 or no
public transport modes currently available.
No parking management will therefore apply in these areas until the nature of the
centre changes and PM B Center criteria / conditions are achieved (as part of the
monitoring and evaluation review process).
perceived by local stakeholders and property brokers. Since then, potential ECAMP areas have been
identified that could be tracked in future, once it meets the threshold criteria.
Since its inception, ECAMP has been updated in 2016 to reflect 2015 data. This update also resulted in the
refinement of certain indicators due to better data becoming available. Not all data sources are
updated annually and ECAMP is currently in an update process, which has included the refinement of
the ECAMP areas.
The ECAMP provides the best available, effective evaluation tool of importance, intensity and scale of
an economic area.
However, it is widely recognized in academia that the delineation of business districts is challenging, and
therefore ECAMP was intended to be used in the context of providing insight into the space economy of
Cape Town as a scale of functional economic geographies and not as an informant at a cadastral scale,
as the delineation of ECAMP areas are continuously changing and was originally not cadastrally specific.
In addition to the ECAMP nodes, the non-residential components of City Improvement Districts (CIDs), also
known as a Special Ratings Area (SRA) boundaries, were also used as an indicator of intensive economic
activity. A CID is a non-profit organisation operating within a defined geographic area within which
property owners agree to pay a levy for supplementary and complimentary services set to enhance the
physical and social environment of the area. Where a CID has been established for a business area it
indicates that there is an agglomeration of commercial activity which provides a further data point for
this tool.
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The Parking Management Business Plan will identify, review and monitor the
classification of Parking Management Centres at a metropolitan scale, recognising
that centres can evolve over time.
3 Implications at a Precinct Scale
A series of parking management zones will occur within each Parking Management
Centre. Differing parking tariffs and mechanisms will occur within each of the zones,
as illustrated below.
Figure 2: Parking Management Zones Conceptual approach
A parking utilisation / land use checklist should be developed in the Parking
Management Business Plan for the identification, review and monitoring of the
classification of Parking Management Zones, using the following guidelines:
3.1 Zone 1:
Core Business areas around key public transport interchanges with high
percentage of mixed use and commercial activities at moderate to high densities.
High trip attractor areas situated within PT1 or PT2 zones with high parking demand
but supported with well-established public transport network and infrastructure.
3.2 Zone 2:
Areas situated on the edge of core business areas or Public Transport Interchanges
with moderate percentage of mixed use commercial and residential activities at
moderate to low densities.
High to medium trip attractors with high to moderate parking demand supported
by or in close proximity / walking distance to established public transport network
and infrastructure.
1
2
3
4
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3.3 Zone 3:
Areas serving as transitional areas between core business areas and its surrounding
residential areas where predominantly residential land uses are present at low to
medium densities.
Low trip attractors but average 10 minutes’ walk to central business areas and
therefore potential high demand areas for parking spill-over.
3.4 Zone 4:
Areas adjacent to recreational attractions and amenities with high to moderate
trip attractors especially during off peak hours and weekends.
Established public destinations with limited commercial activities and low to
moderate access to public transport networks or infrastructure.
Further guidelines for identifying and delineating these centres and zones, their actual
delineations, together with detailed pricing criteria for each category will be provided
in the Parking Management Business Plan.
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Annexure B: Guidelines for the Pricing of Managed Parking
The following principles have been identified to guide the implementation of pricing
which is directive.
1 As the demand and supply of parking is different in different areas of the City,
parking tariffs will also differ.
In general, demand for parking is different in each managed parking area and thus
requires a different parking tariff. The demand in different subareas of parking
management areas may also vary and will require different tariffs to manage the
demand.
2 As the demand for parking and supply of parking is different during certain time
periods, parking tariffs will be different during specified time periods.
Different tariffs can be applied during parts of the day, morning, afternoon, afterhours,
weekend parking depending on demonstrated demand. Practical time periods can
be introduced to respond to different demand periods.
3. Parking tariffs structure should be applied consistently for all on-street parking.
In areas with a similar nature the same time increments and time structure should be
applied for all on-street parking. This means that in all commercial areas, 15 minutes
and 30 minutes increments should be applied.
4. Parking tariffs should be adjusted periodically.
Parking tariffs should be adjusted periodically in order to respond to change in
demand patterns as indicated by data gathered for this purpose.
5. All parking users must pay in managed parking areas.
All users must pay for the use of parking bays, except for exempted permit holders
which includes emergency vehicles attending to an emergency as per the City’s
Parking By-law. Permit holders are exempted when the conditions of the specific
parking permit allows for it. It should be noted that permit application fees should be
appropriate and consider the cost associated with the use of public street space.
6. Parking bays of alternative dimensions should have parking tariffs that relate to
their size.
Motorcycle parking generally requires less public street space. Therefore, the cost of
using a motorcycle parking bay should be lower. For example, when three motorcycle
bays fit into one parking bay, the 1/3 of the parking tariffs for a normal parking bay
should apply.
7. Tariff Pricing Structure
Varying tariff pricing should apply to zones with Parking Management Centres, as
illustrated in Table B1 below. Actual pricing should be proposed in the Parking
Management Business Plan and the Tariff book to achieve the desired outcomes,
based on the analysis of the data sets.
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Table B1: Summary table of pricing costs and hourly increases for the various centres
and zones
PM
CENTRE
PM ZONE
BASE COST LEVEL
HOURLY INCREASE
A
1
Highest
Compounded
Steep increase after 2 hours
2
Lower
Compounded
Steep increase after 2 hours
3
Lowest
Flat rate
4
Lowest
First four hours flat rate
Hourly increases after 4 hours
B
1
High - Discounted from
A1
Compounded
Steep increase after 2 hours
2
Lower
Compounded
Steep increase after 2 hours
3
Lowest
Flat rate
4
Lowest
First four hours flat rate
Hourly increases after 4 hours
