Entry permits for Jhb residents
2009-06-04 17:04
Johannesburg - Business owners and residents near Coca-Cola Park stadium in Johannesburg need to apply for special permits for their vehicles to enter the area during Confederations Cup games.
Councillor Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, mayoral committee member for community development, said at a briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday that residents and owners would have to apply for a Fifa permit at the Jeppe police station.
The permit would allow them to enter either the “Traffic warning” or “Traffic free” exclusion zones around the stadium during Confederation Cup games.
During games, the city would be divided into five security zones, including the traffic free and traffic warning zones.
Residents informed
“We have communicated this with residents. We have written letters to the residents in the area and held meetings with them and we are currently going through a registration process at Jeppe (police) station with them,” said Sibongile Mazibuko, the city's director for 2010.
“This is an ongoing process so that families can apply for permits for visitors during the tournament,” she said.
Giovanni Pisapia, project manager for the Joburg City Safety Programme for 2010, said no private vehicles without Vehicle Access Passes would be allowed within the perimeter of Fuller Avenue on the east, Bezuidenhout Street on the south-east, Error Street on the south, Nugget Street on the west, Saratoga Avenue on the north-west, Charlton Terrace in the north and Joe Slovo Road on the north (which will be closed from Able Road).
The Johannesburg Roads Agency would set up barricades around the stadium at 06:00 on the day of the opening match on June 14, while the Johannesburg metro police would enforce the traffic exclusion zones from 08:00.
“This is only for the first match, as we are trying to shorten the times for the exclusion zones for other matches,” said Pisapia.
Park and ride facilities
The city would provide four park and ride facilities for spectators.
“We want to discourage people from getting into their cars and trying to come to the stadiums," said Lisa Seftel, director of transport for Joburg,
"Please use the public transport.”
There would be 77 buses and 470 minibus taxis to transport fans from the parking areas to the stadium, leaving every 15 minutes, whether they were full or not. They would be branded and colour-coded so fans would know which bus to take.
"The buses will start four hours before the game, and we expect to have the stadium cleared of spectators an hour after the game," said Seftel.
The parking lots would be guarded until all the cars had left.
The park-and-ride facilities would be located at Bezuidenhout Park, Wits University's West campus, the Coca-Cola Dome and Nasrec.
Seftel said a ride to the stadium would cost ticket holders nothing. However parking their cars would cost motorists R40, a minibus R60 and a bus R200.
"Only cash will be accepted and we can only take the exact amount. If you come with more than the exact amount, you will be making a donation to the city of Joburg," she said.
- SAPA