Sharon Namarome: Automate hourly parking

I support the Nairobi City County leadership’s plan to enact an hourly parking policy from July.

A motorist will pay Sh100 in the first hour they park a vehicle within the city centre and Sh50 for subsequent hours. With parking fees among the city’s six key income streams, that will boost its revenues.

It may also solve the traffic congestion the city has grappled with for a long time and enhance engagement between motorists and parking attendants, leading to orderliness and effective supervision.

A 2020 report by Nairobi County Assembly’s budget and appropriation committee shows many motorists park in the city without paying the fee, costing the county Sh437, 500 in lost revenue. 

However, the city fathers should try an automated parking system (APS) for better results. First, APS entails parking vehicles vertically and then transporting them from the entrance to the parking space without drivers being present, reducing congestion.

Secondly, all the vehicles are typically turned off during automation, thus limiting the emission of hazardous gases into their air.

The policy saves organisations the cost of constructing large parking decks as the space will be accessible by attendants only with many vehicles parked at a time.

Safer system

Thirdly, the system is safer for pedestrians, drivers and passengers. They do not need to manoeuvre cramped parking spaces, hence minimising accidents as they will not make contact with vehicles.

Fourth, the system will reduce the vandalism of vehicles. With the increased cases of theft in the city, where the culprits take advantage of crowds to steal, the inaccessibility of vehicles by owners and pedestrians during parking will help to reduce cases.

Lastly, the system is quite beneficial to persons with disabilities as they can exit the cars on level ground and not steeply inclined staircases.

Ms Namarome is a Communication student at Rongo University. [email protected].