As Cape Town continues to swell and its roads groan under growing traffic, city planners are proposing a bold new shift in how mobility is managed.
According to Moneyweb, the City is mulling a peak-hour traffic congestion charge and stricter parking controls, weaving them into the broader Travel Demand Management (TDM) Strategy.
This isn’t just about tolls and fines; it’s about reshaping how citizens travel, where they park, and even how work is scheduled. The proposals come at a time when the city’s transport networks are under increasing stress.
Cape Town’s population is projected to rise significantly by 2050, driven by natural growth and migration. This expansion, coupled with rising vehicle ownership, is already straining transport infrastructure.
Data from the 2024 Commuter Travel Survey reveals that more than half of commuters aged 36 and older travel by private car. The report also draws a clear link between income and transport mode: higher earners are more likely to drive.
Cape {town} Etc Discount Alert!
Unlock Cape Town’s best experiences for half the price! From unforgettable adventures to hidden gems and mouthwatering restaurants, these limited-time deals won’t last long. Snag your discount before they’re gone!
Meanwhile, the collapse of passenger rail services since 2013 pushed many commuters onto roads, intensifying congestion. The City expects rail usage to rebound over time but stresses that future mobility planning can’t rely on that alone.
At its core, the draft TDM Strategy aims to shift how people travel, away from private cars and toward public transport, walking, cycling, or flexible work modes. The plan mixes incentives with regulation and infrastructure upgrades.
Some of the key measures include priority lanes for buses and minibus taxis, park-and-ride facilities (particularly near rail and bus stations), parking restrictions in high-demand areas, discouraging new parking developments in central zones, remote or flexible work programmes to reduce peak-hour commuting, and a congestion charge on vehicles entering high-traffic zones during peak hours, but only once reliable public transport is assured.
In a more radical vision, the plan also envisages a car-free central business district (CBD). Under this scenario, vehicles would be redirected to bypass routes, reserving the inner city for pedestrians and cyclists.
To support this, the city is considering a 30km/h speed limit within the CBD, combined with a sharp reduction in parking bays and dedicated non-motorised transport corridors.
Rob Quintas, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for urban mobility, has emphasised that the strategy seeks to reduce reliance on private vehicles, promote public transport, and ‘reduce the need for travelling’ by advocating remote work.
Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!
Also read:
Grindrod’s R200m Salt River depot boosts Cape Town’s port efficiency
Picture: Unsplash/ Diana Krotova
