February 1, marked the commemcement of a
new parking policy in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)
following a N1.7 billion contract signed with two firms, Intergrated Parking
Services Limited and Platinum Parking management Services Limited to provide,
install and manage on-street parking in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Since the commencement of that policy
however, it has been one savoury experience or the other for motorists in Abuja
as tyre clamping and outright removal of vehicles parked in perceived
‘unauthorised’ plkaces has become the other of the day., thereby throwing up
some concerns about the new policy.
To begin with, while one must be tempted to
agree that there is the need to ensure parking sanity in the city centres,
especially on-street parking; it is important to state equivocally here that
this policy is being carried out with litle or no attempt at for-warning the
general public. Apart from the signage ‘No Parking’, and ‘Pay and Display
ticket on dashboard’ mounted around the city, there has been no deliberate and
sustained attempt by the two licenced firms and the FCTA to create awareness
before the policy took effect. Only a couple of radio adverts which achieved
litle or no effect.
An average motorist in Abuja currently
stands to pay N14,300, every month, and ultimately N171,600 in a year as
parking fees. It has become mandatory for vehicle owners to pay a fee of N50
for every 30 minutes that their cars remain parked along the road between 7 am
to 7 pm from Mondays to Fridays. This ofcourse translates to N650 a day and in
22 working days, he would have paid N14,300.
Why this is worrisome is the fact that
prior to this policy, a sensitive government anywhere in the world is expected
to have provided either a seamless and effective public transport or ensure
completion of the light rain, such that residents of Abuja would not have to
all journey to the city centre in their cars; or atleast ensure that public
commercial parking spaces are provided in high density areas of the city.
While the majority of motorists in the FCT
are not likely to incur the maximum N650 parking fare on a daily basis, workers
in private firms who resume from 7 am and close around 7 pm whose offices dont
have a parking space must cough out as much as N14,300 in parking charges per
month, and ultimately N171,600, in a year. It is indeed
Once a motorist parks within the marked
parking bay, he is approached by a uniformed parking control officer who enquire
from the driver how long he plan to stay. The motorist then pays the fee
covering the said duration, and the officer thereafter issues him/her with a
parking ticket, or receipt which must be placed on the dashboard, where it
could be seen by anyone looking from the outside
Motorists who may not find it convenient to
pay by the hour can purchase electronic swipe cards pre-loaded with N500 or
N1000 worth of parking tickets. The swipe cards are debited according to the
value fixed on the length of time the concerned motorist spends in the street
parking bay. And whenever the N1,000 worth of parking fee credit is exhausted,
the swipe cards can be recharged at designated banks.
There are also vrious categories of
penalties/charges for various forms of parking offences. A situation in which a
motorist, when parking the vehicle, over-steps the marked parking bay, thereby
using up part of the space meant for another car, attracts a fine of N5,000. In
such situations, the parking control officers will clamp the wheels of the
offending vehicle.
The clamp will only be removed after the
payment of a N5,000 fine in any of the designated commercial banks, who issues
a receipt aknowledging that the errant motorist had paid the fine, is then
presented to the parking control officers, before they could remove the clamp
from the affected vehicle. The clamp also serves as a tool in the enforcement
of the fine for the more weighty parking offence – parking on street pavements,
sidewalks or lawns, etc. This category of offence attracts a fine of N10, 000.
Besides the clamp, payment of the parking
fees, as well as the fines resulting from parking offences, are also enforced
by impounding cars and a demurrage of N1,000 for each night spent by the
vehicle at the Pound Yard. But in the event that any offending motorist
attempts to resist the implementation of the policy, state agencies like the
Vehicle Inspection Office, the FCT Police as well as the Abuja Environmental
Protection Board could be drafted in to enforce it.
Another situation to watch out for is the
abusive tendency of the policy which is already manifesting. The Parking
Officers are already short-changing their employers by engaging in sharp
practices.
Mr. Diran Oba is a contractor and had
parked his car around the Merit House on Aguiyi Ironsi street to follow up a
proposal in a nearby office, unaware of the new policy. He returns less than 30
minutes later to meet his tyre clamped and after the pleading and bargaining
that follows, he ended up parting with N2000 directly into the hands of the
parking officer, to have his car released.
Another incidence that show the ‘lack of
preparation’ for the commencement of the policy or another instance of the
Nigerian factor was my personal experience. I had arrived and parked my car in
front of the National Universities Commission and walked up to a parking
assistant to make payment when the guy announces that the POS system is not
working and so he could not take my payment the ‘normal’ way. He noted the time
I arrived and asked me to go ahead and conduct my business. On returning to the
spot some fifteen minutes later, I offered him N50 which is the official cost
for a 30 minutes stay but the youngman refused, requesting that I pay him
better than that for helping me.
Ofcourse, I ignore his demand and walk away
with my N50 without a word to him. The question is, had I paid him either the
N50 or N200 as requested, that money rather than go into the government or the
firm’s coffer will end up in the youngman’s pocket.
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