City Parking has announced a review of its Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system after widespread public complaints that motorists are being unfairly ticketed within seconds of stopping – in some cases even while waiting at traffic lights or being obstructed by other vehicles. The outcry follows the deployment of City Parking’s camera-equipped patrol vehicles, which automatically detect and issue electronic parking violation notices across Harare’s central business district. In a statement released today, City Parking acknowledged mounting public frustration and said it had initiated an internal probe into the system’s operations.
“Investigations and verifications are underway to ascertain that the system remains efficient and effective.” The company said the investigation would assess whether the ANPR technology is mistakenly identifying briefly stationary vehicles as illegally parked. City Parking urged affected motorists to formally raise their grievances for redress. “May those with queries submit them to our customer service team via our various touch points for assistance and clarification,” the company added.
“Today (Tuesday) I got a parking ticket from a City Parking vehicle with a camera while I had stopped at a traffic light. The City Parking vehicle crossed the intersection as I waited to move. When we later parked, the marshal told us we already had a ticket from two minutes earlier.” Another motorist, Tariro Muzah, said the lack of transparency was frustrating.
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“The worst part is they won’t even tell you the street where your car was parked illegally in the first place. You are just told you owe parking fees.” Similarly, Adele Matenga recounted being fined while blocked by another car.
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