N’Assembly approves park N pay in FCT
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja
Motorists in the nation’s capital, Abuja and environs may have to pay parking fees for public spaces as the National Assembly has approved the re-introduction of the park and pay policy of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
This followed the passage of a bill seeking the establishment of the Road Traffic and Motor Vehicle Administration Agency similar to the Lagos state Transport Management Agency (LATSMA) on Thursday by the Senate in concurrence with the House of Representatives.
If assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, the agency will among others, review the parking fees and enforce the parking laws in the FCT and bring back the parking system which became controversial and was stopped by a court proclamation five years ago.
The new bill empowers the FCT administration in collaboration with the FCT Internal Revenue Service to embark on the overall enforcement of parking rules and saddled the proposed agency with the responsibilities of producing and administering vehicle and drivers’ licences in collaboration with relevant federal agencies.
The bill specified functions of the agency to include, regulating road traffic management and motor vehicle administration within the FCT, regulating, registering, revoking licenses and the renewing motor vehicle documents and issuance of vehicle identification number plates in the FCT.
It will also conduct road worthiness tests and issue road worthiness certificates to all categories of vehicles for the purposes of ridding the FCT of non-roadworthy vehicles.
Also, the agency would be responsible for the training and testing of potential drivers to ensure competence for the issuance of drivers licence in the FCT, regulate and enforce the use of bus stops and bus terminals and the activities of commercial motor vehicles in the FCT, register and enforce and accredit driving schools, and enforce the ban on the use of motorcycles as a means of public transport in the FCT.
The bill mandates officers of the new agency to arrest and book any person who commits traffic offences like wrong overtaking, traffic light violation and driving with expired documents or without a drivers’ licence.
