Temba Dube
Vusumuzi Dube Deputy Radar Editor
THE Bulawayo City Council’s multi-million-dollar parking management project has stalled after council failed to provide the required 7 200 parking bays, with the latest report showing that only 6 978 bays are currently available.
The project, being implemented by Tendy Three Investments (TTI), started in February 2022 and was originally scheduled for completion in February 2028.
However, the council’s latest parking management project dashboard shows that the city is still 222 bays short of the minimum threshold required under the project agreement.
Of the 6 978 available bays, 6 435 are white bays while 543 are reserved for taxis and people with disabilities.
A further 736 white bays are currently not being used for parking because they are occupied by informal traders, with Fifth Avenue among the areas affected.
The council report identifies the failure to avail the required number of bays as one of the major challenges facing the project.
“Delays in fulfilling the precedent condition of availing a minimum of 7200 bays is one of the major challenges facing the project.
“Works to provide more parking bays, and meet the precedent condition set out in the agreement, are ongoing, with internal teams and selected contractors executing pot hole patching in the project area,” reads the report.
Council said road-marking paint had also been procured and in-house teams were renewing markings to make more spaces available for tolling.
The project is also facing a low occupancy rate because of the availability of free parking areas.
The council is now seeking to change the responsibility for providing the required parking bays, with engagements underway with the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (Zida).
“The council resolved on the request for the project to allow the counter party TTI to take over the precedent condition deliverable,” the report says.
Council is awaiting ZIDA’s authority on the proposed change, with the report noting that engagement with the agency is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, implementation of other components of the parking project is also incomplete.
The report puts sensor implementation at five percent, although technologically advanced and artificial intelligence-enhanced tags have been received and testing is underway.
The rollout of the second phase of camera monitoring has also started, with implementation at 40 percent.
Council attributed delays in the camera rollout to internet connectivity challenges but said new AI-enhanced cameras had been received.
The impound yard is at 70 percent completion but works have since been decommissioned after the proposed site was changed by the Town Planner.
The project’s original completion date remains February 2028, while the revised completion date is yet to be advised.
Council said the Project Steering Committee continues to monitor deliverables expected from TTI, while pothole patching and road-marking works continue across the project area.
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