The Road Transport Authority (RTA) has held a dialogue meeting with the Bike Riders’ Association (BRA), paramount chief, the Drivers’ Union, the police, district and city councils and other stakeholders in Kenema at the Rendezvous Entertainment hall.
Delivering her message the acting executive director of RTA, Sera Finda Bendu, thanked every one for honouring the invitation and said the purpose of the meeting was to establish a good working relationship with all stakeholders in the community, which she said were all partners in development. She commended the relationship between the police and traffic wardens, and appealed to them not to see themselves as rivals because they were all working towards the common good of the nation.
Sera Finda Bendu called on the Road Safety Committee, the Bike Riders’ Association, the Drivers’ Union and other stakeholders to work together for the interest of the nation. Mrs. Bendu said the road network in the country was very poor and disclosed that 65% of the licenses fees were being given to the Sierra Leone Roads Authority for the maintenance of roads but it looked slow in their performance and 35% of the licenses fee went to RTA operations.
She disclosed that there were 69 fines in the Warden and Traffic Act “which is being violated but they are not implementing it because of the road condition in the country.”
In his keynote address the resident minister east, William Juana Smith, said he was very proud of the organization saying that, “RTA is one of the most successful parastatals that the government set up and that the brain behind it came from the east.