EDITORIAL : Address H-Town’s parking mess

THE ongoing clashes between motorists and City Parking officials in Harare are quite worrisome.

Owning a car or doing errands in the capital has become a risk as motorists are being terrorised on a daily basis by some rogue parking marshals.

Video scenes of motorists having altercations with parking marshals have been circulating in recent weeks.

Some of the motorists are being humiliated, in front of their close relatives and children, when they have done nothing wrong.

This impasse has been on for some months now, a clear indication there are some discrepancies, which really need to be addressed.

Motorists paying through ParkAssist Application have been crying foul following clashes with marshals after finding their vehicles clamped when they have paid for parking.

The confusion has raised suspicion there could be some underhand deals going on.

The ill-treatment of motorists by some parking marshals is not only wrong but should be brought to an immediate end.

It’s either there are some people who are cashing in on City Parking’s payment system or their employees are taking advantage of their employers’ botched system.

This is totally unacceptable in this era of digitalisation where everything has been made simple.

What makes the City Parking marshals’ conduct a cause for concern is their level of arrogance.

The parking marshals have been abusing and instilling unnecessary fear in many people, giving an impression that they have become a law unto themselves.

They forget that they are dealing with people, who also have emotions, and there should be a better way of resolving any differences, which might emerge.

What also worries us is that motorists’ concerns are never taken seriously or addressed on time.

This has fueled unnecessary tension between the motorists and parking marshals, who are now trending for unnecessary reasons.

In this era of advanced technology, motorists have been calling for a clear system where offenders’ vehicles can be easily detected and fined without harassing them.

The harassment of motorists is simply uncalled for.

Owning a car should never be a nightmare for hard working Zimbabweans, the majority of whom are known for being law-abiding people.

People owning vehicles should not be afraid to do their shopping in the city centre for fear of being harassed by parking marshals.

Whoever is employing these parking marshals should teach their staffers to be responsible and respectful.

Basic public relations skills should be imparted on parking marshals, who are now harassing motorists in broad daylight.

Our parking marshals should be taught basic customer care skills to avoid constant clashes between them and the motorists.

Under normal situations, City Parking marshals should be helpful to motorists in terms of securing their vehicles.

All this can only be attained through cooperation of parties involved in this business.

The confusion and discrepancies in parking space should never be allowed to continue happening when technology can easily save the situation.