The Commuters Rights Association has called on law enforcement agencies to get rid of illegal bus stations in Lusaka which has led to over loading.
Association President Aaron Kamuti says there is too much lawlessness on roads because most long distance route buses are loading from illegal bus stations making it difficult to monitor them.
Mr Kamuti says this has put the lives of passengers in danger.
Commenting on the Nyimba accident which claimed 35 lives on Wednesday, Mr Kamuti says there is need for the Road Transport and Safety Agency RATSA not to limit their road patrols to urban areas.
He says RTSA must extend their patrols to high ways curb lawlessness and prevent the road carnage being witnessed.
Mr Kamuti is saddened that the country lost 35 lives because the driver was speeding and was over loaded.
He was speaking in an interview with ZNBC News in Lusaka on Thursday.
[ZNBC]
All overloaded Buses pass through at police check points. Drivers pay the penalties and the journey continues as normal with excess passengers.
I agree with you # 1 100%. The police have become so corrupt in our Country almost second to UN agencies.
In the Nyimba accident, overloading was not the cause of the accident. The cause was the driver’s poor judgement. He was speeding and wanted to overtake on a curve.
are you a driver? if you are, for how long have you been driving? it requires more effort to control any overloaded vehicle. overloading means, over the specified limit the vehicle can operate. the vehicle will move from a to b but at an expense of other parts on it, meaning brakes can not fuction at the moment there needed, the shocks will be labouring, the engine it self will labour, so the engine brake will not function to its requirememt. cheers
Indeed we need to do something about the lawlessness on our roads. It has now become fashionable for motorists to appear very clever when they break traffic regulations. It is very common to see drivers cutting and ignoring red lights. Something must be done and quickly. We must not just talk but we must act and act now. There is a new crop of motorists who I suspect just procure drivers’ licences. These chaps do not seem to understand the higway code. They think it is normal to by pass amber lights and position vehicles the way they want at stop signs or anywhere where they are required to give way. I am appealing to traffic law enforcement agencies to instill stiff punishment for such individuals. The Traffic Police and RTSA officers must work together and do patrols on our roads.
Whoever is responsible for sanity on our roads should do something quickly. The major problem is overspeeding by the big buses. I traveled on the road to east some months ago and you can tell that its just a matter of time before a major accident on that road. To my surprise, I was the only one who complained to the driver about his driving. Passengers wake up!!!! and Confront the driver if he is overspeeding.
It is high time us passengers taught these drivers a lesson but we remain quite often why?
These buses are normaly fully loaded if not overloaded, 60 people cant not fail to manhandle an unruly bus crew. Keeping silent has its consequences, worse still; people do not complain about overspeeding because they hope it will save time but the end is usually costly. The solution to road carnage lies with the passengers themselves. it is time we stopped pointing the finger at others and be part of the solution, not the problem.
Sort them out fast they are actually a danger to our society
If passengers do not complain about the way these drivers behave on the road the results will always be disatrous.Let us not allow them to over speed on the road its our lives at stake.Do these buses really have speed limitors,if yes i doubt if they really work going by the way these buses cruise.I was over taken by many buses on my way from chipata and my speed was over 120km/h and all the buses disappeared in front of me.Whats the speed limit for these buses?
The modern buses are very fast and efficient machines (thanks to technological advancements) which require special training for anyone wanting to drive them. Drivers for these coaches must always be mature, sober minded and responsible persons. Secondly, the police officers that allow overloaded vehicles and those that are not road worthy should be delt with accordingly. Remember the accident that killed school pupils somtime back I think at Ntumba cushi bridge. That truck was overloaded and it passed through a police check point.
The major problems is the commuters. we allow the bus crew to behave in this way. They overload the bus or drive recklessly and we are quite. Once you complain other commuters will join the bus crew in scolding you that niba some of us. and that if you want to travel in comfort you should buy your own car or get a cab. To me it brings me to one conclusion. Many people in Zambia are content with having substandard goods and services. Its a pity. My prayer is one day our eyes shall be opened to accept better.
Thanks #9 we share thoughts, public transport serves mostly the poor and if passengers surrender their lives into the hands of these excited inexperienced and reckless bus crews more innocent lives will keep being wasted! Do these victims ever get compensated by the owners of these buses! I think they should, here in the US lawyers would have a field day ensuring that victims medical, funeral and other expenses were borne by the bus owner including jail! Speed limits and traffic police toll free phone # should be pasted on all passenger service vehicles so that enforcement can be assisted by the public. Agencies mandated to protect the public should show seriousness following up when reports are received!Â
passengers are to blame as well because when you get on the bus and see its full, why not wait for the next bus, so the drivers take advantage because they know they will get away with any traffic offence they make cos they bribe the police who let them go knowing the lives of passengers are in danger, if only the government would take things like this very seriously.
The whole concept of modernising our transport system is chaotic in that, we still have “educated illiterates” in the transport industry in Zed including, the pipo controlling/enforcing traffic/regulations countrywide. This is coupled with pilfering, thefts, corruption and above all, each one for himself and God for us all attitude. We need to overhaul the whole transport system/industry in Zambia including building new road infructure if we are to save lives otherwise, we’re just scratching the top…
#13 i agree with you 100% passegers are to blame yazula mamie or daddy you find they want to sqeeze themselves they dont want to wait for next bus. you find them say nizakala pa bondix just by the door,people lets take care of ourselves.
in short, if you dont care and act about your own safety, no one else will.
Chicco @ #9
You are right, these buses really cruise, I was also overtaken while I was running at 135KPH by a CR bus, and it just disappeared in front of me, and never caught up with it. But surprising, the speedometer says just over 125KPH.I’ve a friend who claimed he was overtaken by one the Tanzanian buses while cruising at 145KPH. Can someone explain how these buses perform, please?
It’s true, we are to blame. Look at the respect passengers who travel to Western, Southern and Copperbelt Provinces get from these bus companies? There’s sanity on these routes, but not Eastern and Northern Provinces?
Great East Road remains one of the busiest and most dangerous roads to drive on. It has too many sharp, narrow and blind curves, which requires sober and patient drivers.
RTSA why dont you enforce the SPEED LIMITERS on these buses? Its a requirement before the operators can be given a licence to operate, RTSA Board should be proactive and stop trotting with the management across the world. The Ministry of Communications and Transport should supervise the RTSA Board.The top management has been out of the country now for over 22 days to Asia and Europe.
Thanks # 15. I was just thinking perhaps if the government could also put up speed limit signs, my dad lives in northmead and whenever i go to Z, i see people doing 40mph instead of 20mph or 30mph in residential areas.Thats what we luck in zambia proper road signs and to deal with people who are not obeying the traffic rules and to make sure drivers have genuine drivers licences. Another thing i have noticed in zambia, is drink driving, this is a more serious offence,.