Parking becoming a struggle in Accra CBD
With the approach of Christmas, motorists who visit the central business district (CBD) of Accra to shop or do business, have complained of a real struggle, finding a place to park.
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Long vehicular queues at the various entrances of the Rawlings Car Park, the most commonly known in the CBD, has become a common scene.
Drivers randomly interviewed by the Daily Graphic during a visit to the CBD yesterday, said the long queues had now become the norm.
To avoid the heat and discomfort of waiting in their cars, some of them took shelter underneath the umbrellas of nearby traders as they waited for the car park attendants to alert them when other cars moved out.
Others who could not wait, left their keys with the attendants to park their vehicles for them when space was available.
Though many of the attendants at the car park would not talk, the few who did said for the better part of the year they faced congestion at the park, admitting though that t
City Car Park
Meanwhile, the Managing Consultant of City Car Park, Dr Joseph A. Dadzie, says the facility has the capacity to accommodate 450 vehicles at any time and urged commuters to the business district to go over to the place and park their vehicles there.
In a chat with the Daily Graphic, he said the facility, which is also partly owned by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), offered convenience and safety for drivers, as well as safety for their cars.
On a tour of the facility, it was realised that among other things, the eight-storey car park has a 24-hour live and recorded surveillance system and lifts to convey clients from parking levels at the top to the bottom floors and vice versa.
The ground floor of the park has restaurants, offices, and shops, and as Dr Dadzie puts it, commuters could have a one-stop experience at the facility by parking in safety, shopping in convenience and, afterwards, having a bite before leaving.
The multi-purpose park was constructed in the late 1990s and started operation in 2000.
Challenges
Dr Dadzie said when the City Car Park opened for business, patronage was initially low because the concept was not familiar in the country, particularly so as many motorists were used to parking anywhere without paying anything.
He said with time, the idea had caught on and some members of the public were now using the facility.
He said another challenge was that some private entities in the CBD had converted their premises into parking areas and were charging fees without paying taxes to the government.
Dr Dadzie also noted that the non-enforcement of parking regulations in the city aided motorists to park anywhere and also made it difficult for some of them to pay money to park their cars.