THE Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group has noted with dismay the uncoordinated road closures in Lusaka as a result of various road works taking place within the city that are leaving most motorist stranded.
The Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group has also noted that these road closures do not provide alternative routes or detours for the motorists, especially those that are new to Lusaka such as tourists and visitors.
“The Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group urges the Zambia Roads Development Agency, the Road Transport and Safety Agency and the Lusaka City Council to compel the construction companies to map up alternative routes for every road they close during their road works. We also demand that all busy roads closed should be worked on day and night to lessen the duration of their being closed,” says Group Admin Mthoniswa Banda.
The Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group observes that these uncoordinated road closures have led to a lot of traffic jams, increased late comings at work or meetings and are forcing those with tight schedules to jump the queue and drive on the shoulders of the roads and on the wrong lane just as to get to their destination fast there by increasing the chances of road accidents and bashing of pedestrians using the sidewalks.
“Most major roads are being worked on right now and there are a lot of closures. However, there is no guidance as to what alternative roads one can use to reach their destination. Our appeal to Lusaka City Council is to improve road guidance signs that tells visitors into Lusaka new alternative routes one can use to get into Chelston, Avondale or Airport when coming or entering the City from the Kabwe direction or short cuts to Kabwata Chilenje, Woodlands or Kabulonga Mtendere when entering Lusaka from the Kafue direction. Rings roads and short cuts to public institutions like the University Teaching Hospital, High Court, Government Offices, University of Zambia and major shopping malls or townships need to be identified and signage put up,” says Group Admin Mthoniswa Banda.
The Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group is confident that once all roads detours are announced before hand and alternative roads indicated, Lusaka will have less congestions and frustrating driving as motorists will plan their journeys well in advance so as to reach their destination on time and in good health.
The Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group (ZRHSG) is an online group with over 1,700 road safety ambassadors and is for sharing experiences and knowledge on road safety and defensive driving on Zambian roads by road experts, professional drivers and other road users including passengers and pedestrians. The Group discussions will help identify road safety issues, bad policies and bad road designs requiring improvement by Government and its road safety agencies such as RTSA, RDA, NRFA, ZP and local councils.
Every week, the ZRHSG will produce a statement summarising the group discussion and sharing this opinion with Road Safety agencies and other policy makers so they improve Zambia’s Road Safety.
It’s not only Lusaka but everywhere and it’s sometimes very frustrating. Even speed humps are constructed that are not visible. Phoenix Contractors built roads with minimum disruptions and there was always proper signage. Can’t we copy from that?
Some of the so-called humps are in fact mountains. One can see scratch marks on such humps caused by cars with low suspensions. I feel for motorists with such cars. Surely, our engineers can’t standardize designs for such small and simple road structures!
That’s a very good initiative in the name of ZRHSG, Keep up the good work. It’s down to RDA, RATSA and Lusaka City council to ensure the alternative routes are in place, well signed and public notified well in advance before the road works commence.
Finally someone has woken up from slumber after half of the capital city has been dug up and is a construction sight. Either the LCC or RDA, whoever is in charge should not allow Afcons, the company doing the roads to dig up all roads simultaneously. Allow them only 1 or 2 roads at a time to work on, complete with road markings. Once this has been done than only allow them to start other roads. They have taken so long to do the flyover by makeni, than why allow them to start the same by arcades which is also taking forever. On top of this you allow them to go ahead with the 1 by munali. Doesn’t make sense. Also look at the quality of the roads they are doing. The one after kablonga roundabout is a new tarmac but it’s so uneven and bumpy. Between the 2 companies which are Avic and…
Whatever has happened to Zambia; there used to be a time when road works were accompanied by proper road signage and detours were watered and made as comfortable as possible. That was then.
Imagine even near the State House when where the Middle Eastern company is constructing structures for the Army, the contractor puts stones on the road and this Independence Avenue. This is near State House!! Where are authorities to police these things. How much does it cost to put up the right reflective signs as in our High Way Code? Road Traffic and Safety Agency, my foot! Even you ba Zambia Roads & Highway Safety Group you are a sham and should just shut up and keep picking the crumps from the table underneath.
Afcons, Avic is more organised and even control the traffic. Afcons on the other hand don’t bother. Although we know that this is a foreign company doing our roads and is a grant from India but the country belongs to us and we should not allow substandard and shody work. They should be given guidelines and standards to follow.