Lilongwe cries for safe parking spots

It is increasingly becoming a tall order for visitors and residents alike to find parking space in the capital city, Lilongwe.

For the motorists working or doing business in the capital, identifying safe spaces to park their vehicles can be a torturous act.

The fierce scramble for limited parking lots forces some motorists to park dangerously on the roadsides where they risk preventable accidents, fines for a traffic offence and having the wheels of their vehicles clamped.

The public concern remains  in Lilongwe City where drivers wrongly park vehicles everywhere.

This bottleneck not only causes inconvenience to other drivers and pedestrians but poses serious safety hazards and delays ambulances due to traffic congestion.

On August 5 2019, Lilongwe City Council started clamping wrongly parked vehicles to instil a sense of responsibility in drivers and ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

At that time,  Tamara Chafunya, spokesperson for the city council, was quoted to have said: “We observed chaos in the way people park their vehicles within the city.

“For example, we have seen people parking their vehicles in pedestrian paveways and office complexes which are not designated as public parking areas.”

 She quoted a new by-law on traffic which gives the council power to enforce proper parking of vehicles.

The Road Traffic Act empowers local government councils to manage traffic in the city.

However, the parking crisis persists five years after Lilongwe City Council rolled out the clampdown on wrongly parked cars and those with parking debts.

However, some drivers are furious that the council is cashing in on a problem it has partly created by allowing new roads and buildings to take shape without ample car parks.

The motorists say wrong parking is inevitable with limited parking space, especially when attending to urgent tasks.

They ask the council to provide adequate spots where they can park quickly to complete errands, enter shops and pick up or drop off customers.

However, the same passengers struggle to drive through a narrow maze of wrongly parked spaces.

Most drivers claim to park their vehicles where they feel their vehicles are safe and can be seen from a distance.

Peter Phiri says the clampdown on wrong parking can help bring sanity to the capital city’s roads, but only if city authorities provide enough parking spaces.

“They are not wrong to clamp cars left in wrong places, but we need more parking spaces to reduce the eyesore and avoid driving in circles looking for vacant spots,” says the driver.

Trywell Kagona urges his fellow drivers to adhere to parking regulations.

He says: “If you find a good parking spot, park your car there.

“Most people know where the parking areas are, but still park anywhere. Adhering to the rules helps maintain order and safety on the roads.

The Road Traffic Act says no person shall park a vehicle on any part of the roadway, excluding the shoulders of a public road outside an urban area or within one metre of the edge of such road, except in a parking place demarcated by an appropriate road traffic sign.

Perpetrators of wrong parking are fined.

Despite these enforcement efforts, wrong parking persists–highlighting the unmet demand for parking spots and a more comprehensive solution.

The struggle against rampant wrong parking in Lilongwe continues amid enforcement efforts, infrastructural improvements and community cooperation.

Motorists can only hope for a more orderly and safer city.