BCC to seal off illegal pick-up points

THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it will tighten traffic laws and raid motorists who pick and drop passengers at illegal points around the city.

This was revealed in the latest council minutes. Councillors said the illegal pick-up points were creating chaos in the city.

Councillor Silas Chigora said when the trading complexes were constructed, for example, Entumbane and Nkulumane, the idea was to strategically service communities.

"Around them, bus terminuses were also established. Effective enforcement should be done to clear all illegal pick-up points," Sigora said.

"Those illegal pick-up points have also (seen) residents and institutions in the CBD (central business district) complaining about noise pollution."

Mayor Solomon Mguni said: "Council will engage complex owners for a way forward. If the prevailing situation at shopping malls is not dealt with, it could affect councils' efforts to establish new development corridors along Leopold Takawira Street extension."

He said the Bulawayo CBD was clean during the COVID-19 lockdown period after a number of activities were decentralised to residential areas.

"There were fewer activities in shopping complexes like Nkulumane and Entumbane and most shops were closed," he said.

Earlier this year, council launched a blitz against commuter omnibuses which use illegal pick-up points but suspended it pending consultations with the security sector.

However, Bulawayo United Residents Association chairperson, Winos Dube, said for sanity to prevail on the city's roads, government should impound and suspend licences of vehicles using illegal pick-up points.

"They are parking and picking up people at undesignated places such as Centenary Park and they should be charged, perhaps it will act as a deterrent for them to stop operating from there," he said.