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Lloyd Gumbo Harare Bureau
Members of the public who hitch-hike at undesignated pick-up points risk arrest and paying fines of up to $200, a development that is expected to curb the menace of pirate taxis in urban centres.
This is contained in Statutory Instrument 41 of 2016 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs and Signals) Regulations that was gazetted in April.
The Statutory Instrument contains a sign that prohibits hitch-hiking at undesignated places.
The sign has a crossed thumb and marked R207 where it is stated that the sign indicates to: “a pedestrian that he or she shall not attempt to secure a lift from a passing vehicle, and the driver of a vehicle that he or she shall not pick up passengers.
“This prohibition on hitch-hiking is effective for a distance of 500 metres beyond such a sign.”
It is the responsibility of local authorities to erect the signs in cities and towns with some of them already having erected the signs, in line with the Sadc Protocol on Transport, Communication and Meteorology of 1999.
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe spokesperson, Ernest Muchena said once the signs were erected, commuters would be arrested for hitch-hiking at undesignated places.
“If it’s erected, it means that around that area, nobody should hitch-hike,” said Muchena.
“The fines are up to level five which gives room to the police to charge where one can pay admission of guilt which is $20. If one decides not to pay admission of guilt and contest the charge, they then go to court. In that case the court will use its own discretion from level one up to level five which is $200.”
Muchena urged commuters to avoid hitch-hiking at such places for their own safety.
He said hitch-hiking at designated places gave commuters an opportunity to inspect the state of the public transport they were hiking such as tyres and windscreens.
Muchena said it was also a punishable offence to vandalise traffic signs, as such, anyone found on the wrong side of the law would be prosecuted.
Harare City Council acting corporate communications manager Michael Chideme said, “This is a positive development because it will empower law enforcement agents to apprehend offenders and also empower the legal system to prosecute offenders.”
Online Reporter