News
Too smart by half – meters that don’t work for the public good
In the wake of a barrage of complaints from angry motorists, the CMC has ordered that the private company entrusted to collect parking fees, Tenaga Car Parks (Pvt) Ltd, should stop charging fines immediately.
A parking meter in Colombo
Council Commissioner Lalith Wickremaratne said Mayor Rosy Senanayake had taken the decision. “They [Tenaga] will be able only to collect parking fees as mentioned in the gazette notification,” Mr. Wickremaratne said.
He said the CMC would be considering what to do about the imposition of parking fines.
The decision was taken following a succession of complaints to the The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) regarding the collection of parking fees.
A company owner parked her vehicle in Bambalapitiya on April 30 and returned to her spot two hours later to find a notice bearing the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) emblem, stating, “Notice of Parking Fee Violation”.
As she had to leave Colombo on urgent business she took the parking ticket with her, assuming that it could be paid later.
On her return she called the telephone number given on the reverse of the notice and found that it belonged to a private company located in Colombo 6.
She called in at the office and was told that she had to pay Rs. 7,000. When she explained that she had only parked for two hours she was told that the sum comprised the parking fee plus a fine.
An officer of the company pulled out a gazette notification and pointed out that all relevant regulations had been gazetted under a notice issued by the Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya and they were only “implementing the regulations”.
She demanded a valid receipt for the payment but the officer instead stamped the notice as “Paid” and stamped it again with the name of the company, Tenaga Car Parks (Pvt) Ltd.
The woman is among dozens being charged unusually heavy fines under a parking system introduced on selected roads and streets in Colombo. One person paid a charge exceeding Rs. 12,000.
CMC notices bearing heavy fines that were issued to two motorists
Tenaga has installed smart meters where those parking are expected to pay their parking fees.
Many people, however, are not aware of the machines, and visitors from out of Colombo are particularly confused.
“We do not mind paying for parking but it is unfair to charge the public for parking and introducing a fine system in designated areas without properly educating the public,” a driver from Galle who was forced to pay a fine said.
The driver was correct: a visit to the location showed that there was no sign that the particular area fees should be paid at the machine.
Parking areas give no indication of where the smart meter is installed; at times, it is located well over a kilometre away.
“We have to go in search of the next meter. Even if you drive some distance you might not find parking close to the meter and you therefore have to look for another one,” a motorist, Ananda Pathirana, said.
Complaints over the machines and the new system have been pouring into the CMC, the Western Provincial Council, the company concerned and even to the police.
The newly-elected CMC took up the issue at a meeting on Wednesday after a separate meeting of the CMC (Traffic Division) was held on Tuesday.
CMC (UNP) member Alawdeen Aslam, raised a detailed question with the Mayor about the new parking system for which some of the answers were given.
Mayor Rosy Senanayake responded that Tenaga had been given the authority to instal machines and that already 100 machines had been installed, each covering 15 to 20 parking spots.
She said the company was empowered to collect fines and its enforcement officers had authority to inspect vehicles and issue notices of parking fee violations.
Several motorists who had been caught short by fines said they had intended to pay the parking fee on return to their spots but had found an infringement notice placed on their car or van, doubling the fee from the usual Rs. 30 for one hour to Rs. 60.
“How does the Enforcement Officer assume that the motorist will not pay the usual parking fee of Rs. 30?” a motorist asked.
Other issues of concern include the fact that the machines accept only “crisp notes”.
A motorist who attempted to pay a parking fee at a machine on Duplication Road with two relatively new Rs. 20 notes found the machine rejected the cash. He called the company on Wednesday night and, as he had received no response, sent a text message. He received a call 10 minutes later from a company representative and was told the problem might have been caused by the weather as it was raining.
“There should be other options for the motorist if the money cannot be paid at the machine. If a person comes from Matara and is unable to pay the parking fee, is he expected to return to Colombo the following day to make the payment?” Western Provincial Council member K.K. Gurusamy he asked.
He told the Sunday Times since the “smart meters” do not provide change the company owning the meters were making undue profits.
Investigations by The Sunday Times reveal that the gazette notification issued by Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya on July 26, 2017 had promulgated the new parking system without measures to make the system fair to the public.
In defence of Tenaga’s operations, its Managing Director, Duminda Jayatilake, said the company was merely implementing regulations gazetted by government.
“Lots of people are complaining that we are overcharging motorists for parking but we are implementing the government regulations under which the charges and fines are imposed,” Mr. Jayatilake protested.
He said the contract to operate parking meters had been awarded by tender to Tenaga, which operates under a Board of Investment (BOI) licence.
“It is the duty of the government to educate the public about the charges and the system,” Mr. Jayatilake said.
He said the CMC took 48 per cent of parking revenue and could use this money to educate the public.