Karoi Town Council is set to introduce by-laws empowering itself to clamp and tow away haulage trucks and other smaller vehicles parked at undesignated spots along the Harare-Chirundu highway.
Town secretary Maxwell Kaitano told NewsDay: The menace of illegal parking has been a worry for council for years. We have, therefore, seen it prudent to promulgate local legislation, which is at the drafting stage, to curb the rampant illegal parking of vehicles at undesignated areas within town.
Council has gazetted the penalties and is awaiting input from residents and ratepayers.
Private vehicles would be fined $20, pick-up trucks $25, eight-tonne trucks $30, above eight-tonne trucks $40, while storage fees would be charged at $60 per day.
Cases of illegal parking had become a concern to the local authority and this has been blamed for the increased number of accidents recorded on the highway. The councillors have proposed the setting up of a temporary place to park the trucks with toilets and showers where drivers in transit would pay for access to the facilities, thereby generating income for council.
Karoi had set-up a truck-inn in Chiedza high density suburb which some councillors argued was not conveniently located resulting in truckers shunning the place. The councilors also accused truckers of promoting prostitution and said maintaining the Chiedza facility would expose women and girls to vice.
The finance and investment committee said council was losing revenue since truck drivers were not paying anything to council although the council had the responsibility to maintain roads.
