Zambians To Continue Dying On Bad Roads

By Kalata News,

 

Lusaka – THE Zambian Roads and Highway Safety Group (ZRHSG) has warned that Zambia will continue to experience road accidents and road fatalities if known causes of accidents are not dealt with.

The Highway Safety Group admin, Mthoniswa Banda says his organisation is not surprised that Zambia continues to record increased cases of road accidents and loss of lives on our roads. This is because causes of roads accidents are well known and documented and yet nothing was being done to correct them.

The Highway Safety Group notes that year in and year out Zambians lament great loss of life and damage to both vehicle and property but nothing seems to be done at either policy level or road design levels.

According to statistics from the Zambia Road Safety and Transport Agency (RTSA), close to 10,000 road traffic accidents were recorded in Zambia in the third quarter of 2023 with 2,000 people injured and close to 600 people killed.

“We have continued to build narrow roads that have no room for pedestrians, cyclists to use and no room for heavy trucks to safely overtake or pass each other. Our roads are not properly marked and if they are, they use non reflective cheap paint that only last for a few days leaving the road demarcations and signage un clear, especially at night and during bad weather” says Group Admin Mthoniswa Banda.

The Highway Safety Group is an advocacy roads safety group with over 11,000 members, many of whom earn a living on the Zambian roads either as drivers, operators or passengers.

According to the group, in the cities, the Highway Safety Group has observed that town councils have allowed their traders to encroach into roads to parade their goods right by the edge of busy roads near markets and bus stations. This action of placing tables and merchandise by the edges of the roads is forcing pedestrians and buyers to compete for space with moving vehicles. In the case of Lusaka, traders operating near busy roads at 10 miles and Buseko Markets have been run over by run away vehicles because of this. The running over of a Lusaka man by a train is another example of pedestrians encroaching in the active roadways and railways.

The Highway Safety Group therefore calls on the Local Councils countrywide and Government Road Safety Agencies to get bold and begin solving road safety related problems as reported by motorists and transporters, and recorded in many accident reports.

Zambia needs expanded roads network with adequate road markings that are safe to use 24 hrs a day and guide motorists and pedestrians in how to safety use them.

Our roads need overtaking lanes that will allow fast moving vehicles to safely overtake and avoid bottle necks caused by slow vehicles.

Zambian roads need all bad roads and potholed roads to be mended or fixed so the safety features of the vehicles work to protect those using them.

“Zambia needs heavy duty vehicles and buses to be allowed to travel at night so as to decongest our roads. As things stand the congestion on our roads is partly caused by every driver having limited times to be on the road.” Explains  Group Admin Mthoniswa Banda.

Local Councils working with Traffic Police and others need to clear road shoulders of structures and marketeers that deny vehicles and pedestrians smooth passage in those areas.

The Highway Safety Group notes that if these are not done, more lives will be lost and more vehicles damaged because of poor and bad roads infrastructure.