Police want Port Moresby to have more parking spaces

By JOSHUA MANI
PORT Moresby needs more public parking spaces to stop people from parking their vehicles on footpaths, police say.
National Capital District Commission traffic police officer Senior Inspector Joseph Salle told The National that there were a lot of illegal parking infringements because the roads had been poorly designed.
“We can go on arresting people but the problem will still be there,” Salle said.
“The city is developing. There are more vehicles and an increasing population.”
Salle said police were not arresting people for parking their vehicles illegally but only advising them to move their vehicles away.
He said under the Road Traffic (Offences and Penalties) Regulation 2017, it was an offence to “willfully stop a motor vehicle in a place prohibited by the rules”. It means parking a vehicle in a place which does not have parking sign.
Salle said the spot fine for a parking offence was K300. If the offender is charged and appears in court, the fine can go up to K2500 under the road traffic regulation.
He urged the National Capital District Commission to redesign the city’s roads to include public parking spaces.
He suggested for the National Capital District Commission staff to look at overseas models on how city roads are designed.
Salle said a lot of people below 25 were holding Class Six licences without the required level of driving experience.
Some drivers did not know simple traffic rules.