THE government will crack its whip on vehicle licence and ZBC vehicle radio licence defaulters as well as car thieves through installation of devices that will automatically detect them at tollgates.
STAFF REPORTER
Secretary for Transport and Infrastructural Development Munesushe Munodawafa, who was speaking before the Parliamentary Portfolio committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development chaired by Chegutu West MP Dexter Nduna, said the devices will ensure the defaulters do not pass through the boom gates at tollgates until law enforcement agents had dealt with them.
The committee had asked the ministry to appear before it to speak on how they would deal with road carnage as well as protecting the Beira Corridor from possible threats.
“Starting from January, we are linking with ZBC such that if your vehicle does not have a licence you will not be able to pass through tollgates,” Munodawafa said.
“We are also linking with the Zimbabwe Republic Police for car theft and if one is driving a stolen car it will not pass through the boom gates until the police have assisted you, as well as those who have not fully paid their vehicle registration licences.”
Munodawafa said vehicles which did not pass the VID tests will be impounded at the boom gates, adding for the process to be fully effective his ministry was still working with the State Procurement Board.
He said urban tolling was still at a consultative stage and that his ministry will first study the reaction of stakeholders before implementation.
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“We fully appreciate that urban tollgates are an expensive exercise because of the equipment needed. In some countries like Singapore it has decongested city centres. At this stage, we are discussing the concept. It will be good perhaps for Harare because there are many cars, but certainly for small towns it is a no go area because of the expensive equipment,” he said.
Munodawafa said as a way of curbing road carnage his ministry was looking at dualisation of roads, rigorous road safety campaigns, mandatory testing and re-testing of public vehicle drivers, enforcement of traffic laws as well as minimising corruption at the Vehicle Inspection Department.
“We want driving tests to include night driving and as a way of minimising corruption at VID, 80% of tests will take place at VID where everybody can witness the test,” he said.
