NASS passes bill reintroducing park and pay in FCT 23/05/2019.
The Senate, yesterday, passed a bill seeking the establishment of road traffic and motor vehicle administration service in the nation’s political capital, Abuja.
The bill, if signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, before the expiration of the Eight Senate, will among others, empower the proposed agency to review the parking fees and enforce the parking laws in the FCT.
The park pay system was in operation in the FCT but later became a controversial issue about five years ago before a court judgment stopped the FCT Administration from further collecting fees from residents for on and off the street parking within the metropolis.
However, the new bill which was already passed by the House of Representatives, empowers the FCT administration in collaboration with the FCT Internal Revenue Service to embark on the overall enforcement of parking rules.
The bill also empowers the proposed agency with the responsibilities of producing and administering vehicle and drivers’ licences in collaboration with relevant federal agencies.
The specific functions of the FCT traffic management service as contained in the bill are, regulating road traffic management and motor vehicle administration within the FCT.
The agency would also regulate, register, revoke, license and renew motor vehicle documents and issuance of vehicle identification number plates in the FCT.
It will also conduct road worthiness test and issue road worthiness certificates to all categories of vehicles for the purposes of ridding the FCT of non-road worthy vehicles.
The agency would also be responsible for the training and testing drivers to ensure competence for issuance of drivers licence in the FCT.
The proposed agency would also regulate and enforce the use of bus stops and bus terminal and the activities of the commercial motor vehicles in the FCT.
It will also 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 officers of the new agency as contained in the bill have been mandated to arrest and book any person who commit traffic offences like wrong overtaking, traffic light violation, and driving with expired documents or without driving licence.
They are also to arrest anyone that drives right-hand vehicles, drivers who exceed driving limit, drives against the traffic or obstruct traffic through illegal parking among others.
