You might be driving a Hummer Jeep with all the modern convenience that technology has blessed life with, Granted, but definitely if Freetown’s traffic madness escapes your notice, then it could possible be that indeed you have left behind some of the sensibility that the good God endowed you with. The sharp population hike might not be an emergency but definitely, one perforce feels it on a daily basis whether you walk on foot, ride on okada, bicycle or in a car. You can call it madness because you suddenly find yourself in a maze and you have to kind of navigate your war with all the skills you need. And you know what, especially in the morning some guys move in a haze…they could actually hit you along the way without it registering on their senses. Yes some guys really look but definitely do not see anyone on the way. Their whole mind is set on their destinations.
If you appreciate the fact that the journey should be as interesting as the destination the Machiavellian stuff does not work with this one. Interestingly most times we do not want to think of the journey because it turns out to be so much of an ordeal. Hey, I just thought of a joke I will share with you . There were two squinted-eyed guys who ran into each other from opposite ends. They so got mad at each other that they started quarelling. The first one told the other that he was not looking in the direction in which he was moving. Enraged, the other one blasted back that he was better off because he thought the other guy was not even going where he was looking. Of course invariably both of them were saying almost the same thing from two different perspectives. I hope you catch the joke.
From the days of the Late Alfred Abraham Akibo-Betts as Mayor of Freetown City Council to now so much innovative ideas have been tried just to ease traffic congestion, but sadly enough the problem for long has evaded any definition and answer. Part of the problem continues to be the increase in the population. Over a year ago, we were told that Freetown city had hit the two million mark. In a country of about five million inhabitants, I think this seems a real problem. What compounds our problem here is that a couple of years back, even the UN population kind of abandoned programs to attract populations to the rural areas and otherwise preferred trying to improve the life of the ever migrating populations into the cities.
When you walk the length and breadth of the city you will notice the enormity of the job the Traffic Police have while trying to drive some sanity into what to a large extent is complete chaos. I have often heard from commuters that the Police and Traffic Wardens are part of the whole traffic problem. Well I do not really subscribe to that assertion. If we really go outside the box, the real fundamental cause of our traffic madness may not be entirely a question of management. In 2007, the Road Traffic Act was enacted. Some questions should be asked. Do the people who are stakeholders of our traffic situation really aware of the provisions of that Act? Of course no, and this may not be because of the over beaten excuse that majority of people are illiterate. The point here is that illiteracy does not prevent people from driving a vehicle… so these same people should be sensitized. People might be illiterate, but definitely most of them could be very intelligent. We are yet to set up units within Ministries, Departments and Agencies that follow the enacted laws that fall within the purview of their offices. I keep saying that there is no use to enact laws that are not seen to be understood and indeed work.
Now in plain terms, what are some of the challenges we have in our traffic sector. I must hasten to say that indeed there is a road safety unit, but maybe they are too overwhelmed that their impact is yet to be felt. Can you blame them? Point number one, these days most of the vehicles imported are second hand or used vehicles. Why? Well the new ones are said to be just too expensive. Many vehicles come into the country almost already as near scraps. Hey! Do I hear you say poverty? Well no comment. The vehicles are used for several years abroad on good roads and then sent over to poverty- stricken Salone to run on terrible roads.
Some months ago a group of civil society activists in the Ugandan City of Kampala marked something like the National Day of potholes. They had very hard words to say about the deplorable condition of their city. They protested in no uncertain terms, ways that could have easily passed as seditious under our 1965 Public Order Act. The UN Ugandan staff who used to work here will tell you at the time that in Kampala, if you see a driver driving strait, be sure that he is drunk. The fact is that the potholes are so many that drivers were always navigating to avoid the holes. Well we out here in Freetown have actually got over the pothole problem in most streets of our city. Thank God for that.
You see the more life gets tough, the more people embark on innovative ways of meeting their livelihood aspirations. All sorts of vehicular and extra- vehicular traffic in Freetown have gained prominence. Take the Okada, rather Omolankay, the wheelbarrow and other forms of push carts. There is even this cart that children use to carry battas of water all over the city. I think they call it bearing since they run on bearings of vehicles. They are often driven by kids below say 16 years. One wonders if they are losing school for this trade. The one that is becoming a pleasant menace is the wheel barrows. These are actually what I call tetanus wheel barrows because their original frames have been replaced by rusty scrap metals only to keep the whole form together. These wheel barrows mostly carry food stuff for women so you see how you can easily place them high in the food security chain? Oh my God Africa has so much fun if you see what I mean. You walk along Kissy Road through Sani Abacha Street.
In the Road Traffic Act of 2007 there is provision to test the condition of motor vehicles. Interesting that there are so many other types that make up our traffic which may not go under the motor category. Never mind. Section 56, sub-section (3) says that the examination of vehicles should be done every six months in respect of commercial vehicles and once every year in respect of private vehicles. This is interesting…I say interesting because we all know this is not happening. Even to get a driving license, most drivers and riders do not even know the Vehicle Examiner’s Office. I can remember in 1988 when I took my official Motor bike to the vehicle Examiner’s Office to test for my driving license, I caused some sensation as all the neighborhood came round to see me riding up the slab . Well those were the days we wanted to do things by the book. What I do not understand is that why do we put a lot of things in our laws when we know we will never implement them.
A whole lot of accidents are caused by vehicles that in the first place are not road worthy well you will tell me that if I tell the dog, I should also tell the cat. If vehicles are examined as specified, I am pretty sure that at least half of them will not be road worthy. So what happens… very few vehicles left for commuters? Do you see the dilemma? There are places lke some of the boundary Districts where vehicles and motor bikes are not even licensed and even the riders do not take license.
The Police stay flexible with them with the excuse that if they are stopped from running passengers will experience untold hardships. Well you see in life it is difficult to avoid compromises like this only that lives of people are put on the line. We really have challenges in this life we are living. I laugh when I read about the certificate of fitness for vehicles.
Most of Freetown’s traffic madness is blamed on the commercial Motorbikes. You see Freetown residents woke up one day and just realized they need to try out the okada as a swift means of transport. The use of motorbikes in a commercial way, we are told was first tried out in Koinadugu probably in the 80s to help take people from one place to another. Interestingly many descendants of that District ride motor bikes, even girls and women. They remind me of Tamale in Ghana where the family members all have either, bicycles, or motor bikes.
This vehicular traffic issue is kind of complex and in most cases the safety of passengers are compromised because there are too many people for the few available vehicles. What a dilemma! For passengers who ride the okada, please remember that the motorbike’s third wheel is the riders left foot… when he is stopping, if he fails to put his left foot down on the ground, you will fall. This shows how easily dangerous that machine can be.
By S. Beny Sam