By Sharon Chimenya
THE whole of Masvingo City Central Business District (CBD) has been designated as a prepaid parking zone including the unsurfaced parking spaces.
Early last month city marshals were deployed to enforce payments in some streets with unsurfaced parking bays and there was a backlash from motorists who had taken to parking in these areas.
The Finance and General Purposes Committee in its recent council minutes raised concern over the unsurfaced spaces and called for familiarisation of the resolution on designated parking zones.
In the month of March the city fathers collected $494 107 000 from the sale of 25 549 discs, $77 912 900 from office sales and $4 270 000 from penalties giving a total of $576 289 900.
“The Committee highlighted the need for councillors to familiarise with the Electronic Prepaid System and had to put Prepaid Parking signage to enable enforcing of prepaid parking by laws. Committee members raised concern on the unsurfaced parking spaces in the Central Business District, where parking fees were being collected, which the Chamber Secretary, Vitalis Shonhai, reported that the whole Central Business District was designated as a Prepaid Parking zone. The Committee requested to familiarise with the existing Resolution on designated parking zones in the Central Business District,” reads part of the minutes.
The local authority has since backtracked from the decision to collect fees from unsurfaced spaces with revenue collected from the section directed to development of such spaces.
“It was agreed that prepaid marshals should enforce and collect parking fees from motorists parking in in developed streets. Town Clerk, Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa, advised that the parking fees were ring-fenced and the same could be channelled towards construction of parking bays in undeveloped areas in the Central Business District.”
Meanwhile, the local authority introduced a new electronic prepaid parking system which was reported to be functioning well, collecting more revenue compared to previous collections and is difficult to manipulate.
