Residents and visitors are advised to take note of the temporary road closures scheduled for Saturday 2 January 2016, between 08:00 and 23:59, to accommodate the annual Tweede Nuwe Jaar road march through the city centre.
Details of the road closures are available here
‘This annual event is part of the cultural fabric of our city and is unique and synonymous with Cape Town. Residents and visitors from around the world, irrespective of their cultural backgrounds, are attracted by the brightly coloured outfits, the vibe and the spirit of the participating groups. Each one kitted out with a vibrant mix of colours and their own unique dance moves and sounds. I am certain this year the groups, who have been hard at work, will once again thrill the thousands of people who flock to the city centre to take in this unique sight and sound,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, Councillor Garreth Bloor.
Motorists are advised to please plan their trips accordingly.
ALSO PLEASE NOTE ADVICE ON ATLANTIC SEABOARD TRAFFIC:
Cape Town will once again manage the influx of vehicles along the Atlantic Seaboard on New Year’s Day.
Transport for Cape Town (TCT), the City’s transport authority, in conjunction with the City’s Traffic Service, will actively manage the influx of vehicles along the Atlantic Seaboard in an effort to prevent a repetition of the gridlock conditions that have become a regular occurrence in Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Clifton and Camps Bay on 1 January in previous years.
Visitors are strongly advised to please park their private vehicles in the city central business district (CBD) or foreshore area and to use the MyCiTi bus service or any other public transport service to reach the beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard on New Year’s Day.
‘We urge beach-goers to please work with us so that we can create a pleasant environment for road users and fun-seekers alike. Those who have visited the Atlantic Seaboard on 1 January in prior years will know that parking is extremely limited and that it can easily take two to three hours to travel between Sea Point and Camps Bay by car. If we opt for public transport or, where possible, walk or cycle, it will be much easier to move around,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.
The traffic will be managed at the main entry points to the Atlantic Seaboard from 09:30 until at least 19:00 at the following points:
• At the corner of Main and Glengariff Roads in Sea Point
• Along Helen Suzman Boulevard and Beach Road in Green Point
• At the corner of Regent and Queens Roads in Sea Point
• At the intersection of Lower Kloof Road and Kloof Road in Camps Bay
• At the corner of Victoria and Houghton Roads in Camps Bay
• At the top of Kloof Nek Road near Tafelberg Road
By closing one lane on each of these roads (except for Kloof Nek Road which narrows into one lane near Bellevue Street) and stopping traffic at predetermined intervals, the City’s Traffic Service will ensure that a limited number of vehicles at a time will access the Atlantic Seaboard at these points. The measures will assist to create relatively free-flowing traffic conditions along Victoria Road in Camps Bay and Clifton, and along Beach Road in Sea Point.
MyCiTi buses, minibus-taxis, coaches and chartered public transport services will receive preference at these points as far as possible. Private vehicles, however, will have to await their turn to access the Atlantic Seaboard and, as such, motorists should anticipate that queues will form at these points.
‘Those residents and visitors who still prefer to go to these popular spots in their private vehicles should go there well before 09:00 and should be prepared to experience significant delays on 1 January 2016 at the control points. Once they have moved beyond these points, however, they may be able to travel along Victoria and Beach Roads in reasonable traffic conditions or at least without sitting in heavily congested traffic,’ said Councillor Herron.
In addition, visitors to Table Mountain are strongly advised to please make use of the MyCiTi service.
‘The MyCiTi shuttle service to the Upper Table Mountain stop is free of charge, meaning visitors only need to pay on Route 107 (Camps Bay) from the central business district to the top of Kloof Nek Road, where they can disembark at the Kloof Nek Stop situated at the Kloof Nek Road/Tafelberg Road intersection. From there, visitors should transfer to the Route 110 bus – the free Table Mountain shuttle service – to the Upper Tafelberg stop and disembark at the cableway station,’ said Councillor Herron.
The same applies to passengers who are departing from the cableway station: they embark at the Upper Tafelberg stop and will transfer to MyCiTi Route 107 at the Kloof Nek Stop at the Kloof Nek Road/Tafelberg Road intersection.
Passengers can expect a bus on the Table Mountain service every 10 minutes or so, with the summer service commencing at 07:00 and the last bus departing from the Lower Cable Station at 19:00.
Those who do not have myconnect cards can purchase single trip cards at a cost of R30 each at the kiosks at the MyCiTi stations.
Passengers should please note that they will need to buy two single trip cards per person (one to travel to the beach and another to travel back to the area where they have parked). Children under four travel for free on the MyCiTi buses.
Passengers are requested to familiarise themselves with the operational hours of the kiosks as these differ from the general operational hours of the MyCiTi stations.
‘The single trip cards will make it more convenient and easy for those who are unaccustomed to the MyCiTi service and we urge residents to give the MyCiTi service a try,’ said Councillor Herron.
Additional MyCiTi buses will be operational as from 1 January 2016 to 4 January 2016 as these days generally attract big crowds to the city’s beaches. Extra trips will be added from 12:00 until approximately 22:00 on the following routes to provide for the greater demand:
• Route 107 – Camps Bay
• Route 108 – Hangberg, Sea Point, Adderley
• Route 109 – Hout Bay, Imizamo Yethu, Sea Point, Adderley
• Route 217 – Melkbosstrand, Big Bay, Table View
Those with queries on the day can phone the Transport Information Centre on 0800 65 64 63 which will serve as the centralised contact point for queries in this regard.
