Online Reporter
HARARE City Council is set to surpass revenue targets of US$9 million for the traffic section, which has ticketed more than 26 000 vehicles from the beginning of January to June this year.
Chamber Secretary Warren Chiwawa said there has been an increase in enforcement beyond set targets.
The local authority is also working on new systems to help enforcement, and this includes installing cameras on roads in the Central Business District.
On paper they intend to provide order for the city by ensuring an efficient, smooth flow of traffic and they even intend to adopt an Integrated Automation System that leverage advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and real time data analysis to enhance traffic surveillance, monitoring and enforcement.
This is very impressive and will surely be endorsed by Harare residents what has been problematic is what actually happens on the roads where members of the traffic section operate.
Harare’s traffic department is one of the worst rated and most hated by the residents, which requires the authorities to do more and restore confidence.
In terms of revenue collection, there is no doubt that the traffic department is among the best performing.
However, as they continue to push to surpass revenue targets, there is an urgent need to reform the operations and behaviour of its traffic enforcement officials.
They have done enough harm to Harare City Council’s name by eroding public trust, promoting lawlessness, and ultimately undermining the very goals council hopes to achieve.
Based on posts on various social media platforms, it is clear that Harare motorists experience the heavy-handedness and, at times, outright harassment by traffic officials whose methods reflect more of a punitive, extortionist approach than a lawful and orderly enforcement of road regulations.
Most of the complaints on social media point to dirty tactics by the officials to milk fines from motorists, including deployment of fewer cashiers yet those checking for parking discs always outnumber them.
Critics have argued that council’s essential revenue collection operations must be done with integrity, transparency, and accountability. Currently, there is evidence of officials being selective in application of parking by-laws, leaving certain roads to touts and allowing the washing of cars unabated.
In recent weeks we have seen concerned motorists suggesting that council must retrain its traffic officials on ethical conduct, communication, and basic customer service as most of them seem poorly equipped to engage with the public in a constructive and courteous manner.
This training will help change the mindset of the officials from confrontation to cooperation whereby traffic enforcement becomes about education and compliance rather than punishment.
Also, another consistent request is that motorists who feel unfairly treated or wrongly fined must have a simple, accessible process to appeal or report misconduct without needing to know someone from “high offices”.
Others have suggested that council should work on introducing monthly parking passes, providing more secure public parking facilities, or partnering with private operators to manage well-zoned parking lots. There is a lot that the traffic section can achieve if the house is in order.
