Scores of vehicles, motor bikes and power tillers are being packed in the compound of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority (SLRTA) at 90 Blama road office in Kenema city while some are also packed at the Kenema police station in the city.
The traffic warden in Kenema city has mounted a vigorous crackdown on defaulters in the district who are always bent on going through the net of the traffic wardens. The wardens are currently arresting unregistered motor bikes and vehicles, renewal defaulters, driving without crash helmet, vehicle and motor bikes with expired licenses, driving mirror, over loading, carrying excess passenger on the canopy and on motor bike, and not using seat belt among others.
Addressing his men at the SLRTA office along Blama road before dispatching for the streets of Kenema, the Traffic Warden Supervisor for Kenema and Kailahun districts Saidu-Ba Swaray cautioned his men to do their work to the best of their knowledge without fear or favour in the interest of the nation. He told them to go all out to ensure that all defaulters are taking into custody by ensuring that the right thing is done not only in the City of Kenema but the entire district of Kenema and Kailahun. “Go and do your work and make sure that you leave no stone unturned in doing so in the interest of the nation” he concluded.
Speaking to the Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority (SLRTA) Sarah Finda Bendu (Mrs) on the line from Freetown, she confirmed to Awoko that she has recently told the wardens across the nation and in Freetown that on no certain terms does she want to see the wardens not working in the interest of the nation, and that she will not take it lightly with any warden who falls short of the rules and regulation binding their work. She says the current activities of the wardens across the nation is not a new thing as they are working in the interest of the nation to make sure that they add value to the work on road safety, there by clamping down on vehicles which block traffic; and those that do not adhere to traffic rules and regulations. She added that there action is to make the people aware of road safety and cautioned all and sundry to be safety conscious.
The Executive Director further explained that the work of the wardens is not mainly for fund raising but to make sure that they enhance road safety. Mrs Bendu says in some cases the people commit the offences out of ignorance and that the traffic warden needs to educate the drivers, riders and pedestrians at all time to ensure that they do the correct thing. She called on the public to give feed back to her office about the work of the traffic wardens and not the wardens themselves telling her about their work. She explained that when vehicle pack on the road side without reflector light it usually results in fatal accident.
She ended by saying that road safety is a passion to her and must be a concern to everybody saying every life lost by accident is a big loss to the nation, adding that by 2016 every country globally must have reduced their accident rate by 50%. Road Safety management, safer road, safer vehicle, safer road users and post crash response must be achieved at all cost.
A school girl Hannah Kallon of Nasir Ahmadiyya Secondary School said she was very happy about the move of the Traffic wardens saying their action is not only raising money for the government but will ensure safety as most unregistered motor bikes that involve in accident usually escape from the scene leaving the victim perishing.
A motor bike rider Mohamed Dukulay blamed some of their bosses for failing to do the correct documentation while a motor bike owner says some of them pay for their documents but it takes time for the licenses to be available in the Kenema office.
By Saffa Moriba
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