The Director of Transport at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr. Alex Johnson , has  appealed to vehicle owners to refrain from parking at unauthorised places, urging them to make use  of designated  car parks  provided within the city to avoid their cars being clamped and towed.

According to him designated off-street car parks in the city includes the Ridge Car Park, SNNIT Pension House Car Park, Accra Financial Centre Car Park, SIC Life Mall Car Park, The Octagon Car Park, Accra City Car Park and the Mokola Shopping Mall Car Park.

Mr. Johnson said this during a training programme organised by the Assembly for five private agencies to check vehicles that violate traffic regulations by parking at unauthorized locations in the city.

The  participants were drawn from  Park Right Ltd, 24 Hours Towing Company Ltd, Basic Security Parking Ltd, Road Safety Management Service Ltd and the AMA Parking Enforcement Team
were taken through parking offences, collection of evidence by taking pictures, professionalism in parking enforcement and a thorough understanding of the summons sheet.

Mr. Alex Johnson, said the purpose of the training was to update the knowledge of participants to ensure sanity on the road and enhance traffic management in the city.

He encouraged participants to be professional and not abuse the mandate given to them, adding that they should avoid fighting offenders and help them understand the regulations.

The Director of Parking Enforcement at Park Right Ltd, Mr. John Obiri Yeboah Yentumi, in a remark expressed concerns over the method used by some officers and  urged them to display professionalism in enforcing the law, stressing that “clamping of a car tire must be done at the driver’s side of the vehicle for visibility and to possibly prevent damage”.

Parking offences highlighted at the training included blocking access of premises, parking on pedestrian walk ways (pavements), parking in motorist lane, parking at non-parking designated points and improper parking.

The rest were double parking, parking on a landscape, lawn or manhole or shaft cover, parking at 33 meters before or after a fire hydrant, parking at 25 metres before a junction or intersection, breakdown left after 6pm, repair of vehicles on the road, leaving a broken down vehicle on the road for one hour or more and parking across a solid white line.

Some participants raised concerns on the misuse of privileges given to the security service officials and medical officials with regards to parking enforcement laws.

Mr. Obiri Yeboah urged drivers and motorists to comply with parking laws, and not temper with a clamp or damage and remove a clamp from a vehicle as it was a criminal offence and punishable by law.