Thousands of drivers flout parking laws

The Herald, 20 July 1988

SOME Harare drivers are ignoring parking meters and not paying.

This is evident from recent figures released by the Harare City Council’s department of works, which showed that during 1986/87, more than 92 000 motorists parked their cars in metered bays without bothering to pay.

During the 1985/86 period, more than 120 000 car owners flouted the by-law. Although the figures have gone down during the latest financial year, it still remains the most flouted municipal by-law involving motorists.

In hi s annual r e port f or 1986/ 87, the director of works, Cde Tongai Mahachi says t hat the f igure for motorists parking their vehicles for a l onger time than prescribed has jumped drastically f rom 5 701 in 1985/ 86 to 8 798 this year.

Second biggest offence is parking vehicles outside a parking meter bay and during 1986/87 more than 13 000 drivers were fined.

Another prevalent offence among motorists in the capital is failing to display a valid licence disc on vehicles. Over 7 000 motorists were fined for the offence during the period.

Other prevalent offences committed by vehicle owners included parking private cars in places reserved for buses, taxis and motorcycles — disregarding “No Parking” and “No Stopping” signs, and parking vehicles on sidewalks.

Taxi operators seem to be aiming for a clean record and figures show that during 1986/87 only 23 drivers were found without licences, compared to 128 in 1985/86.

Only a few people have been fined for parking dangerously during the day or night

LESSONS FOR TODAY

◆ Parking laws make our roads safer and give everyone a fair chance to get a parking spot. ◆ Motorists should make sure that they look for signs when they park; there may be more than one. The best way to park safely and avoid a parking ticket is to read signs carefully, from top to bottom.

◆ If you are issued a ticket by an authorised person, that person should be able to show you their identity card if requested. The card should show the person’s photo, signature and the signature of the authorising office. This protects motorists from bogus parking officials.

◆ Today, the City of Harare may consider investing in a parking management system which has the following benefits: providing a real-time omni-channel capability to ensure that customer’s demands of convenience and speed are fulfilled; increases in revenue generation capabilities. ◆ Clearly, a parking management system simplifies the parking process for both customers and parking businesses.