Minister of Transport and Communication Brian Mushimba says the SI is a safety measure that is cushioning road accidents.
Mr. Mushimba says government is engaging stakeholders that are affected by the move and is exploring possible solutions.
He has admitted that though the ban on movement of Public service vehicles at night has a strain on the economy, it is necessary to save lives.
Mr. MUSHIMBA says government is putting in place other measures to ensure the ban is relaxed.
The Minister was speaking in an interview with ZNBC News in Lusaka.
The solution is enforcement of law not banning. It’s a fact most vehicles on roads in Zambia are not roadworthy, drivers get their licences fraudulently, driving fast and recklessly is the norm, traffic cops are corrupt. These are the causes of accidents and simple policing can bring the situation under control.
Trucks should have been exempted from this. I just can’t imagine the congestion on the roads during the day. Some motorists will be ending up speeding to beat the 21hrs night stop. Passenger buses should have been the only ones facing this ban..
I have observed that during day, we have convoys of trucks such that overtaking becomes an a headacre. Imagin overtaking six trucks without much space between them.
Again when driving at night after 21.00 hrs, that roads are free, sometimes you can drive for 50Kms without meeting any vehicle. Mind you very few people driver during the night as most are sleeping.
Bwana Minister, my advice is:
1. Let Trucks park at 18:00 hrs just as it is getting dark and let buses continue moving up to 21:00 hrs. Since our interest is those lives lost on public transport – buses.
2. At 21:30 hrs, let the Trucks be back on the roads and continue to their destinations. Buses will then join them at your stipulated 05:OOhrs. With this, the conveys of trucks we meet during the day will reduce. By the way,…
By the way who are we reserving the roads for between 21hrs and 05hrs? Let truckers utilise that time and remember those are the engine of the economy.
…we are just transferring the same problem from night to day….and creating additional problem that of congestion …..I hope when we start experiencing unprecedented fatal accidents…Mushimba wont come up with another SI 76A to ban all PSV from driving during day while SI 76 is still in place…kikikiki
Dobo at work
While you at it bwana Minister, please ensure also that roads are safe. Let them have proper signage, proper markings, maintain the roads as well to ensure that emerging pot holes are dealt with promptly. It’s not only night travel that is responsible for accidents.
This is the only country with people in decision making positions with average intelligence and very basic, who even when they have degrees from UNZA they don’t have the knowledge. The statistics they talk about is “percent”. They cannot use normal distribution or poison distribution for occurrences that cannot be determined before hand so that decisions are supported scientifically or with mathematical certainty. Accidents have not happened only in the night.
The causes of accidents in Zambia are shallow roads, foolish design of roads, corruption, lack of regard to consequences of actions on life and not the darkness.
Please allow us to move free. This matter should not be treated like you are in your bedroom, this is a free world everywhere. The cost of doing business has tripled…
Trucks should be allowed, infact encouraged to move at night as opposed to during the day
80 per cent of plane crashes have happened at night … nobody ever said ban night flights, ban trans-Atlantic, trans Pacific flights at night. are we honestly living in the same world as other countries? maybe its a question of not having a government.
And there will be a lot of head on collision as buses will be overspeeding and trying to overtake a chain of trucks
I conquer with the fact that potholes should be worked on.If possible the should put up solar lights in teh high way. Afterall RDA is collecting a lot of money from the tolls
@Mufasa You are spot on with your suggestion. Hopefully the Minister reads LT and will see your suggestion and have the guts to amend the SI
Needless to say, the amount of traffic we have today is beyond our roads which outdated. Couple this with corrupt police, the situation goes out of control.
A country runs 24/7 for economical survival.
Not restricted to 16 hrs a day!
Very useless people making new laws.