By Chisomo Sumani,

Lilongwe July 5, Mana: A common yet critical act of significant concern continues to be rampant in Lilongwe City where drivers wrongly park vehicles all around the city.

This prevalent practice not only causes inconvenience to other drivers and pedestrians but poses serious safety hazards like road accidents, delayed ambulance due to traffic congestion and reduced traffic.

 In response, the City Council embarked on the act of clamping wrongly parked vehicles in July 2019 which came into operation on August five the same year in their efforts to clamp down on improperly parked cars, aiming to instill a sense of responsibility among drivers and ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

In an article published by Nyasatimes, the City Council Public Relations Officer, Tamara Chafunya was quoted to have said, “We observed chaos in terms of the way people park their vehicles within the city. For example, we have seen people parking their vehicles in pedestrian pave ways and office complexes which are not designated as public parking areas.”

She continued to say, they thought it wise to include a by-law on traffic which gives powers to the council to enforce proper parking of vehicles having observed chaos in terms of the way people park their vehicles within the city, as the Road Traffic Act gives powers to the local authority to manage traffic in the city.”

It is however to a continuation that since it was said and implemented in 2019 wrong parking hasn't yet been mitigated.

Clamping has by far been done on wrongly parked cars as well as cars with lots of parking debt to the city council.

Drivers often justify their actions by citing limited parking space and the urgency of their tasks.

They argue that they need to park quickly to complete errands, enter shops, or pick up and drop off customers, such finding it challenging to drive their way through until they find a parking space that is however limited.

Many find it challenging to find a parking space, leading them to park wherever they can, even if it is illegal. They complain of having their cars clamped even when they are just getting things for their customers from a shop to the car, parking space is said to be limited. 

Most drivers claim to park their vehicles where they believe and feel that safety is assured a place where they can be and still manage to watch over their cars at a distance.

One driver, Peter Phiri acknowledged the significance of the clamping efforts but emphasized the need for more parking spaces.

"They are not wrong to clamp our cars when they are wrongly parked, but we still need more space for parking to avoid driving in circles looking for a spot," he said.

Another driver, Trywell Kagona urged his fellow drivers to adhere to parking regulations.

"If you find a good parking spot, park your car there. Most people know where the parking areas are but still end up parking anywhere," he advised.

Kagona stressed the importance of following the rules to maintain order and safety on the roads.

The Road Traffic Act Chapter 69:01 states that, no person shall park a vehicle on any portion of the roadway, excluding the shoulders, of a public road outside an urban area or with any part of such vehicle within one metre of the edge of such roadway except in a parking place demarcated by an appropriate road traffic sign.

Perpetrators of wrong parking are fined.

Despite these enforcement efforts, the issue of wrong parking persists, highlighting a need for a more comprehensive solution.

The struggle against rampant wrong parking in Lilongwe is ongoing, but with continued enforcement, infrastructural improvements, and community cooperation, there is hope for a more orderly and safer city environment.