Cape Town - The vibrant community of Bo-Kaap is facing an increasing challenge, as residents rally against the rising tide of tourist buses invading their neighbourhood.
A protest is scheduled for today, spearheaded by the Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association, to voice their concern over what they describe as the “detrimental effects of over-tourism on their everyday lives”.
Osman Shabodien, association chairperson, has been at the forefront of raising the concern, emphasising the rapid rise in traffic caused by the influx of tourist buses.
This comes as scores of buses are driving into Wale Street, before parking in Yusuf Drive.
The iconic Red City Sightseeing Bus is among those to traverse off-route, through the narrow streets of the Bo-Kaap.
“The influx of tour visitors and large groups of visitors, eager to capture the iconic images of Bo-Kaap’s colourful streets, has resulted in overcrowding, noise pollution, and increased traffic congestion,” Shabodien said.
He said the roads were not designed to accommodate large volumes of vehicles, and it has become a disruption to members of the Bo-Kaap community.
“Residents, many of whom have lived in the area for generations, are now faced with constant interruptions from blocked access to their home, to the overwhelming presence of tourists in what was once a peaceful, close-knit neighbourhood,” Shabodien said.
The protest is expected to take place in Wale Street at 10am.
The Bo-Kaap Neighbourhood Watch has also expressed its concerns.
Chairperson, Ebrahiem Christian, described the issue as something that has been a “menace to the area for a while now”.
“The City and traffic department must come up with a plan to stop these buses from entering Bo-Kaap and get alternative parking and tourists should walk into Bo-Kaap.
“The safety of our residents comes first,” Christian said.
City Sightseeing Cape Town representative, David Henwood, said Yusuf Drive isn’t part of their route.
He said they made a once-off stop where they collected customers in the Bo-Kaap.
“(Monday) we had a private hire, which stopped nearby for about eight minutes to collect customers, which was a once-off. We have a very good relationship with the residents of Bo-Kaap,” Henwood said.
Ward councillor, Francine Higham, said that to tackle the traffic congestion resulting from large 40-seater tour buses, the City is currently working on a traffic plan for the area.
This plan is designed to pinpoint alternative routes and parking locations for the buses, ultimately aiming to alleviate the congestion and lessen the impact on the nearby residential community.
“In order to escalate the concerns of the community, I also submitted a motion to the Sub-Council in October on the matter of the traffic plan to ensure it was prioritised ahead of the festive season,” she said.
Higham said a meeting had been arranged for next week involving key Bo-Kaap community organisations, along with representatives from Cape Town Tourism and tourism associations, to present the plan for their discussion and input.
Mayco member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said the residents’ concerns were valid.
“Yes, we are aware of it. There is merit in the community concerns. The City’s Transport Network Management and Planning Department is currently preparing a proposal to manage the risk while also fostering local tourism.
“The ward councillor will be convening a meeting with all stakeholders to engage on the proposal soon.
“We encourage those community representatives who will be attending to engage with the proposal at the meeting,” said Quintas.
Meanwhile, locals have taken to Facebook to express their frustration. Gabieba Abrahams wrote: “The streets are so narrow already. Then the amount of traffic; it's ridiculous. Buses should park at the bottom and the tourists must walk.”
Waahid Gabriels added: “Close the streets and cut tourism off in Bo-Kaap and use the tactics of the taxi association. If they don’t do what we want, then they can go have tourism somewhere else. Let’s be honest, there’s over R3 million in tourism revenue generated by the Bo-Kaap a week. How many millions are we getting? So just close the shop because it’s not profitable.”
Christian said action should be taken before an accident occurs, as it did along Kloof Nek Road, when a cement truck ploughed into 17 cars in September.
Higham said Yusuf Drive was in no way comparable to Kloof Road in terms of the safety risks related to the gradient of the road or the speed at which heavy-duty vehicles, such as buses were travelling.