adminAvenues area, Raylton Sports Club and at guarded premises on the periphery of the CBD.
However, that luxury could soon be shortlived as Easipark, the company that manages on-street parking in the city has an elaborate plan to convert a number of streets in the avenues into metered parking bays.
An official with Easipark confirmed the conversion saying, “the parking meters would be installed soon”.
He said the trend by the motorists choosing the non-clamping zones was a normal phenomenon that should not worry Easipark.
“We have achieved our desire of decongesting the city centre. Motorists intending to conduct short-term business transactions can now do so in peace. There is always parking space,” he said.
But motorists feel the CBD has been turned into a preserve of the rich.
Parking for an hour costs US$1 implying that one who parks for the normal eight working hours pays US$8.
In a week the motorists would have paid US$40 in parking fees alone.
The city has a serious shortage of cheap parking space as the available parkades and parking lots are inadequate.
The few available have been taken by companies that pay high deposit and monthly fees in advance.
Motorists said they would rather buy a meal that costs on average US$1 per day than use the designated on-street parking bays.
The majority of Harare employees are civil servants who earn on average US$250, which is split among other pressing demands including rentals, grocery, school fees, fuel and clothing.
A survey by this paper has shown that on-street parking bays are largely empty during the official working hours – between 0800hrs and 1600hrs – and immediately fill up thereafter as motorists begin to park close to their workstations in preparation to go home.
Interviewed motorists said they could not afford to pay US$1 per hour for the average eight working hours per day.
Asked why they did not utilise the parkades and parking lots, which are relatively cheaper if paid for in advance, motorists, were unanimous they could not afford the costs.
Some said they had agreed to share cars with fellow motorists to cut costs that include fuel and parking.
Online Reporter