Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) has commended the government through the Ministry of Transport and Logistics for its decision to re-introduce Police road-blocks in view of the many fatal accidents that have occurred in the past few days.
Patriots For Economic Progress (PeP) President Sean Tembo said that their Party has welcomed the statement issued by the Minister of Transport Frank Tayali that Government will re-introduce., because of the recent accidents, including the Great East Road University of Zambia (UNZA) Entrance accident which claimed 12 lives, as well as the Nsumbu-Nsama Road accident which claimed the lives of 20 members of the United Church of Zambia.
Mr Tembo stated that as the Patriots for Economic Progress, they wish to put it on record that when the United Party for National Development (UPND) Administration made the populist policy decision to suspend Police road-blocks upon ascending to office about a year ago, the Party strongly opposed it on the basis that Police road-blocks are important for the purpose of maintaining law and order on the roads, as well as averting road traffic accidents and saving lives.
“However, in their usual fashion of not listening to opposition voices, the UPND Government rubbished our concerns,” Mr Tembo noted
He said that it is further worth noting that the UPND Administration decided to ban Police road-blocks on the basis of mere speculation that Traffic Police Officers are corrupt and that the policing of our roads should only be left in the hands of the Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA), this was despite the advice that RTSA does not have enough manpower to adequately police in the roads in the absence of the Zambia Police Traffic Department.
“As Patriots for Economic Progress, we demand that the New Dawn administration in general, and the Ministers of Transport and Logistics as well as Home Affairs and Internal Security Honorable Frank Tayali and Honorable Jack Mwiimbu respectively should lender an apology to the Zambian people for the hundreds of lives that have been unnecessarily lost on our roads in the past one year, because of their wrong policy decision to suspend police road-blocks,” Mr Tembo mentioned
Mr Tembo said that such an apology from the government is a decent thing to do and it will give citizens an assurance that the UPND Administration has learnt from its policy mistakes, and that going forward they will be more considerate to the advice coming from the opposition political parties such as PeP.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to advise the UPND administration that no government has ever succeeded in properly running the affairs of the nation to the exclusion of key stakeholders such as the opposition,” he said
Mr Tembo cited that successfully running a government is supposed to be a collective undertaking by all stakeholders in the country, including the opposition political parties, the UPND should therefore, advise its praise singers to desist from insulting, demeaning and persecuting people such as the PeP that hold a different view on national matters.
“We mean well for this nation and oftentimes, our views on national matters are better informed than those of the government, let us unite in our ideas for building our nation and delivering development to our people. Our people want development and not petty politicking whereby Government considers anything coming from the opposition as bad and wrong,” Mr Tembo mentioned
Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali stated that he will immediately engage his Home Affairs and Internal Security counterpart Jack Mwiimbu, on the need to bring back the roadblocks.
Mr Tayali’s remarks come in the wake of an accident on the University of Zambia – Great East Road junction that has claimed eleven lives
Speaking after visiting the accident scene and survivors at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, the Transport and Logistics Minister described the accident as tragic and called for an end to recklessness on the road.
Mr Tayali noted that there is a need to revise the road patrols and bring back road blocks in order to reduce the number of accidents.
He has further noted that the increase in road accidents in the country is due to lack of intense police traffic patrols.
But those two accidents occurred in the early hours of the day. No roadblock would have saved them. it was purely the carelessness of the drivers. No bring them back please.
Its not the roadblocks that will help curb down the accidents but a more strict approach to bus and truck drivers in particular that would help solve this problem. Putting up road blocks merely dials down the symptom but does not eradicate the disease of reckless driving in this country.
Not all the things the previous Governments did or put in place are wrong. Try as much as possible to understand the intention, make necessary changes and move forward. Uyu ndani uyu seem to have a monopoly of knowledge and he is Appallingly failing to take to us to a wealthier and safer level.
Road blocks can’t solve this problem. At the time the SI to ban night movement was effected there were roadblocks all over the country and still fatal accidents occurred. Most roads in Zambia don’t have adequate road signs. Young drivers are issued with licenses without adequate training and examination. Minibus drivers learn to drive within the station, just like young truck drivers do by being lorry mates. Make defensive driving lessons compulsory for all PSV drivers. At one time ZALAWI used to be a menace of the road until they began to retrain their drivers. We can also do it.
LUNCH MONEY LUNCH MONEY AND MORE LUNCH MONEY
Wrong move….road blocks are just one way of enabling corruption for the Police…so you’re now following PF’s footsteps…next you will bring back cadres….Lusaka is congested with ubroadworthy vehicles…and that’s the problem when people are lying to themselves…especially Lumbani madoda praise singers…..the economy is very bad no wonder you see banged up cars on the roads……meanwhile Ministers are buying brand new Toyota Land cruisers
Wrong diagnosis by the Minister. Moving in circles. Even Mr Sata had stopped the roadblocks and later reintroduced them; roadblocks are just a conduit for corruption. Moreover the bujus slow down traffic flow. What we need are proper road markings and mending of potholes. Paints for road humps or dips are faded.
Permanent automated speed traps the way it is in developed countries , road safety inspectors from RATSA getting on public transport incognito to be physically present along the journeys, In built public transport GPS speed monitors, stiff punishment of careless public service drivers like cancellation of driving licenses or suspension of drivers license for 2 years or more is what will mitigate accidents, NOT ROADBLOCKS
This is the biggest mistake the govt is making. How do they bring back these mobile ATMs? Such a terrible mistake.
These accidents have nothing to do with traffic roadblocks. We were having even worse accidents when we had these traffic roadblocks. Just a few months ago a traffic officer was killed at a roadblock he mounted because a vehicle failed to stop. I personally have witnessed two accidents at traffic stops, one where a driver died on the spot because the truck behind failed to stop and the second the police officer was hit by a vehicle whose driver failed to notice that there was a roadblock. Best would be to increase the mobile traffic patrols.
Sometimes ST still thinks he was in the alliance………..
Then when he realises he pulled out, he starts insults and conspiracy theories with everything done with in UPND GRZ……..
To reduce RTA………..just put more speed humps………..
It’s the same policeman who’s going to man the road blocks so what will he do differently that he’s not doing without a road block. Why are people so naive….road blocks are ATMs not safety catches.
There was a permanent road block at the Chibuluma Kitwe West junction…. I happen to pass this part in early mornings as I return from St Joseph farms… and each time the bus arrived at that block the driver would get out and give an envelope to the police. The bus is not roadworthy and has no traffic certificate at all.
So what is the road block going to do to eliminate accidents when the person manning it is not interested in the conditions of the vehicle and its driver.
What they RTSA needs is installing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Cameras; as a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, its registration number is read and instantly checked against database records of vehicles of interest…if there is no tax it will pick it up, if its speeding or related to a crime scene, What happened to all those contracts worth millions of dollars from traffic camerasa that were signed under PF?
Just get ZNS to build speed humps all over the place………..
You speed , you damage your vehicle
I implore rtsa n police to establish even 5 to speed trap points on chirundu Lusaka road. These cargo Vans turned minibuses cruise as if they are carrying cargo yet it is humans on board.
This is the problem when you have dull chaps in opposition like ST, how are road blocks going to deter accidents? These are updated colonial methods that are labour intensive and just encourage corruption. Just like ST can not lobby for anything innovative like speed traps as mentioned above, cameras …even speed delimiters fitted to all PSVs
Problem is Mr Tembo wants to be an expert in everything from breastfeeding to the ozone layer!
ST should be advocating for better laws and better law enforcement coupled with use of modern technology. It shouldn’t always be about politics.
Towns and Roads are congested, and you are applauding to get ROADBLOCKS implemented as if you were living in a military-ruled country.
You should be thinking of installing TRAFFIC radars, these are equipment that detects SPEED and the car number plate. If the car is overspeeding, this equipment would take a snapshot of that car and send the information for processing. The next thing, the owner of the car is re-called to Police, either the driver is charged a fine OR his license is temporary withdrawned for a certain period of time. You can also have 5 Traffic Police patrol, specifically detecting the cars that are overspeeding. You have ELON MUSK satellites for ZAMBIA, so they can be used for this purpose. BUT PLEASE STOP THIS NONSENCE of ROADBLOCKS, you are just making dunderheads like…
BUT PLEASE STOP THIS NONSENCE of ROADBLOCKS, you are just making dunderheads like ST seem important for nothing.
Introducing roadblocks is a shallow solution for the spate of accidents. Police usually mount roadblocks on back streets in residential areas where there almost no accidents.
What is needed is police presence along the the highways and main roads doing traffic control duties.
Speed traps are even more useful in curbing overspeeding which is a major cause of accidents.
Please don’t bring back road blocks! They will not achieve anything in as far road safety is concerned. All it will do is improve the financial positions of individuals.
Police presence on highways? Forget. Where will they get motorcycles and patrol vehicles fuel? Where will they get fuel for driving up and down the highway? They ask us to provide transport when we report a crime.
America and all civilised societies with normal brains effectively carry on with effective Police services.
HONESTLY ROAD BLOCKS ARE OF NO USE BUT WILL ONLY FUEL THE ALREADY HIGHLY CORRUPT POLICE FORCE. BESIDES, WEN WE HAD THE ROAD BLOCKS IN PREVIOUS REGIME, DID WE RECORD ZERO(0) ACCIDENTS???ST ????
Bring back roadblocks is more like promoting corruption hence there is no need of re-introcing roadblocks.
so please dont bring back road blocks.
Bring back roadblocks is more like promoting corruption hence there is no need of re-introcing roadblocks.
so please dont bring back road blocks. Just introduce more speed traps and Sean on this one it is a flop 0 out 10
Thank you we shall build now.