The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has procured 100 motorbikes to enable it enforce road traffic regulations effectively in the country.
RTSA deputy director for road transport Robert Mtonga disclosed this in an interview with ZANIS in Kasama recently. Mr. Mtonga said the motorbikes would soon be handed over to the Zambia Police Service under the Traffic Unit to enhance their mobility while ensuring that safety standards on public roads were observed.
He explained that RTSA was working closely with the police to curb reckless driving among motorists, which has resulted in fatal road accidents.Mr. Mtonga, who was in Kasama for the RTSA public sittings to review the 2010 public service licenses for transport operators, said his Agency was concerned with the increase in road traffic accidents in the country.
He stated that 90 per cent of road traffic accidents happening in the country were due to human causes, mostly bordering on failure to observe traffic regulations.
Mr. Mtonga cited over -speeding as a big problem among motorists which requires urgent attention to safeguard people’s lives.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mtonga described the RTSA public sitting in Kasama as successful considering the high number of transport operators who turned up to have their 2010 public service licences renewed.
He however urged transport operators to hire drivers with Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licences to avoid their vehicles being impounded for having unqualified drivers.
Mr. Mtonga further advised bus operators servicing distant routes to make sure their vehicles were fitted with speed-limiters to avoid being in conflict with the law.
ZANIS
Excellent plan hope this will help, but RTSA should also implement a policy does not allow night driving of big buses or coaches.Alot of people are dying in road accidents because the drivers are too tired and sometimes too drunk to drive well on the roads in the night
So much insanity on Zambian roads
Imwe ba RTSA!! Another misplaced priority. Work on the poor roads country wide first before the luxury of buying motorbikes by RTSA. This country has alot of so called the very educated who always fail to deliver for the citizens. With these motorbikes, RTSA officers will just be busy chasing innocent motorists in their quest to lobby for bribes. What a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The biggest problem with RTSA is that they dont seem to have a road transport vision structure for the country. What sort of road transport do they intend to develop for Zambia in the next 2 years? Each time there are major road accidents they always give same reasons i.e. human causes and always saying RTSA is concerned, but they have failed to come up with strategic solutions to counter the causes of the fatal. With effective strategies most fatal accidents can be avoided.
95% of the current road accidents in Zambia are attributed to bad state of roads country wide.An hour ago, had i not been luck, i would have crushed my new car as i was coming from Lusaka to the Copperbelt. There is a large pot hole right in the middle of the road just before Kabwe and i was told it has been there now almost a month. Therefore, it is largely due to bad state of roads country that is causing many accidents in Zambia. This is totally undebateable.
This country!! Shame!!
#1, the problem is not driving at night but it is purely the roads. For your information, Zambian drivers are among the best in the region and the world.
Ba fee color. they will spend time chasing mini buses during weekends to make money for tujili jili. just ask RDA to work on Serenje Mpika Road, Chinsali Nakonde Road and M8. cant wait for 2011
can assure you, out of those 100, 70 will be for RB, 20 for George Kunda for seeing off RB, 5 for IG, ZAF and Army commanders as they escort RB to airport, and five for police services funerals. total 100 for RB
What about road signs, road markings, pot holes? assuming there still 72 districts in Zambia and that the last few accidents have happened up north, how are they going to distribute the bikes?
Abo bafi kala mwalaingisha inchito bakulaliamofye chapwa.they will be cashing to the boss every day just like what happens with the traffic police on motorbikes it’s 100pin everyday to the boss.
May be we can learn from other countries too, eg developed countries. Are motor bike the best solution?
Here in the UK, we have a lot of speed cameras on roads. If you over speed, the camera takes a photo of you. You get fines by docking points on your licence. If you reach a certain number, you are banned from driving for some years. Now that is deterrant enough.
RTSA should start pilot projects of installing speed cameras. I tell you, it may end up being cheaper than motor bikes.
Can we please hear from other bloggers in other countries. Our experiences can help these RTSA guys, if they read LT anyway.
A motorbike ,of say 250cc or more , being ridden at high speed on roads like we have in Zambia
is SUICIDAL.