Tour coaches blocking one lane of Tafelberg Road. Photo: Tred Magill

Tour coaches are blocking Tafelberg road and obstructing traffic, while the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) and City of Cape Town, both deny responsibility for regulating Tafelberg road.

The slope of the mountain and the narrow width of Tafelberg Road creates a shortage of parking for visitors. Just beyond the lower Cable Station, there is space for just six to eight coaches.

At the peak of the 2016 season in January, as many as seven coaches were lined up in Tafelberg road, creating a 100m obstruction to traffic. The coaches are wide vehicles and without anywhere to pull off the road, these coaches turn sections of Tafelberg Road into a one-way.

TMACC Managing Director, Wahida Parker, says traffic congestion on Tafelberg Road has been 'repeatedly' raised with the City of Cape Town, but the traffic department 'has not done enough' about the issue.

She added that while a number of initiatives had been taken to alleviate traffic congestion, including the free shuttle serivce running from Kloofnek and the 'Drop & Go' for taxis, the City denies responsibility for Tafelberg Road.