The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has delegated some of its powers to a new private agency to check vehicles that violate traffic regulations by parking in the central business section of the city.
The company, named 24-Hour Recovery and Mobile Mechanical Services Limited, has been empowered to embark on a serious operation of towing vehicles that break this rule and slapping them with a large sum of fines.
In an interview with the Mayor of Accra, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, this week, he indicated that the enforcement of the assembly's bye-laws calls for the support and collaboration of civil law enforcement bodies as well as private agencies commissioned by the assembly.
He explained that this is expressed in Clause 9-10 of the AMA Bye-laws on vehicle parking of 1995, adding in enforcing of the bye-laws, AMA exacts penalties.
On the specific issue of the how much AMA charges for vehicles towed , Ofei Darko indicated that under the Schedule (H) Section (7) on Traffic Offence, the fine for contravening the "No Parking Regulations" alone is ?100,000.
But, he said, when the vehicle is clamped and towed, then an additional amount of ?100,000 and ?150,000 is respectively charged.
Further, he said AMA convinced its appointed agents, for humanitarian reasons, to accept the payment of ?200,000 instead of ?250,000.
Asked why out of the ?300,000, only ?100,000 goes to AMA, the mayor revealed that the ?100,000 goes to the traffic offence alone and nothing else, but since AMA has not got its own towing trucks, it has entered into agreement with this company, as part of its general city traffic de-congestion programme, to enforce its byelaws on parking in the city.
"They do take care of clamping, towing as well as the security of the cars being towed, hence the ?200,000 due them."
Asked whether the public is not being exploited as the whole programme sounds like a cheap way of making money by the appointed agents, Ofei Darko disagreed, saying it is a good programme that can generate money for AMA.
He also said corruption cannot be eliminated completely from any system, but can be minimised when asked whether there would not be any corruption some where by the said agents or even AMA own agents, assisting the agency.
Later, he appealed to vehicle owners to refrain from parking at unauthorised places, urging them to make use of the modern city car park or the other car parks provided within the city.
He further stressed that AMA is determined to rid the city off lawlessness with the support of the police and civil society.
Finally, he called on the media to help achieve this positive change in Accra.
