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Council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, yesterday said the operation, which was launched on 14 June, would be intensified to cover after hours and weekends.
The local authority is working with the police to compel motorists to pay for about 20 000 outstanding traffic offence tickets worth more than $100 000 in the city.
Traffic fines range from $4 to $36.
Mrs Mpofu said despite the clamping and towing exercise, few motorists were coming forward to pay their fines.
“We have so far accounted for 339 motor vehicles with outstanding fines since we launched the blitz on 14 June. Few motorists have come forward to clear their outstanding fines and the exercise is continuing,” said Mrs Mpofu.
“The response so far is not significant although a positive change has been noted. Defaulters are advised that all areas would be covered and all of them would be accounted for. We are in the process of increasing the number of clampdowns in order to match the magnitude of defaulters.”
Mrs Mpofu said the bicycles that were impounded, did not have valid licence discs.
She said the discs were $10 a term, which covered 1 January to 31 December every year.
“The fine for failing to produce or display a valid license disc is $5. We are intensifying our operations as our statistics show that cyclists are no longer acquiring discs yet they are many on our roads. Most of them have been involved in accidents and they have been found to be using unlicensed bicycles,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu said vehicles that were towed would attract a charge that includes storage.
“The exercise will be conducted after hours and weekends. Defaulters risk having their vehicles impounded and are expected to pay their fines, inclusive of storage fees that are charged per day. Storage charges are $15 for small vehicles, $30 for medium size vehicles and $35 for heavy vehicles per day,” she said.
Motorists said the local authority was charging them up to $65 for towing their vehicle to the council storage facility along 12th Avenue.
Mrs Mpofu warned residents who were buying vehicles to ensure they do not have outstanding tickets, as they would be required to clear them when the vehicle is impounded.
Last week, Mrs Mpofu said the exercise was part of the city’s transport policy also aimed at eliminating the dangers to passengers of boarding unregistered vehicles at undesignated points.
She said council had started working with the police to enforce Statutory Instrument 231 of 2006, Bulawayo, clamping and tow away by laws.
Council’s chairperson of the environmental management and engineering services committee, which is also in charge of traffic in the city, Councillor Martin K Moyo of Ward 3, said the exercise had been made necessary by the unwillingness of motorists to pay for traffic tickets.
“Before vehicle licensing was removed from local authorities, motorists were forced to clear outstanding tickets before they could get licence discs. Now that they pay at Zimpost, they have started neglecting paying for the tickets. This was the only way the money could be recovered and sanity brought to the city’s roads,” said Clr Moyo.
Online Reporter