The City of Cape Town has added a new vertical lift truck to its towing fleet, with the aim of clearing illegally parked vehicles more efficiently, and in a manner that conventional tow trucks can’t.
The vertical lift truck removed six vehicles during the last week of March.
"This vertical lift truck makes it so much easier to remove vehicles, particularly ones that are parked in and can’t be moved using the conventional tow trucks," said Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.
"Its forklift mechanism makes the work a breeze. It’s early days yet, and our staff are familiarising themselves with the new vehicle, so we expect the rate of pickups to increase rapidly in the near future."
Smith said this should be a wake-up call to those motorists who think they can get away with breaking the law by parking as they please, without due regard for others.
There are numerous circumstances under which a vehicle can be towed away by enforcement services.
Section 56 of the City’s Traffic By-law of 2021 outlines a number of ways a vehicle is deemed to be illegally parked. Where such a vehicle is causing an obstruction to the safe passage of other road users, it can be impounded.
In terms of the National Road Traffic Act, a vehicle is considered abandoned if it's left on a public road in a manner that creates a danger or obstruction to traffic, or if it's left in a metered parking space, parking ground, or garage for a continuous period of seven days or more.
The Traffic Services receives daily complaints about vehicles causing obstructions.
In the past nine months, Cape Town City staff have towed away 352 vehicles for by-law violations, causing an obstruction or for being abandoned.
Once a vehicle is impounded, the owner is required to pay the fine as well as the impoundment release fee before they can take possession of the vehicle.
If the vehicle is not claimed within three months, the City can dispose of it via auction to recoup costs, or in the case of unroadworthy vehicles, it can be crushed.
If you want to report an illegally parked vehicle it's as easy as calling 021 480 7700.