{UAH} Government helpless as heavy trucks paralyse traffic in city centre
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Government helpless as heavy trucks paralyse traffic in city centre
Jam. Traffic on Mukwano Road in Kampala City yesterday. Although the Works and Transport ministry issued a directive to the effect that all trucks carrying a capacity of 3.5 tonnes and above, including trailers and fuel tankers, were not allowed in the city centre between 5am and 10pm, these continue to paralyse traffic in the city centre during day. PHOTO BY RACHEL MABALA.
Kampala: Sometime in 2011, the Ministry of Works and Transport issued a directive banning wide load trucks and fuel tankers from accessing the Central Business District during day, which was for, among other reasons, aimed at decongesting the busy city centre and reducing accidents.
The directive was reached at following consultations with the Works ministry, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the police, who are charged with enforcement.
The rule was that all trucks carrying a capacity of 3.5 tonnes and above, including trailers and fuel tankers, were not allowed in the city centre between 5am and 10pm.
Welcomed move
Social commentators and analysts took to newspaper columns, radios and social media to praise the initiative as long overdue, given the maddening traffic and spiralling congestion, worsened in part by the chaotic boda bodas.
Problem though was that the directive, being a policy matter, had to first go through Cabinet for approval before being gazetted.
There was also talk to gazette land for large parking space along each of the main highways where the trucks, those which needed to access the city, would park during day and access the city centre at night.
Despite this directive, the heavy trucks have continued to access the busy Central Business District at any time.
Two weeks ago, a fuel tanker rammed into two infants waiting by their school gate in Seeta, Mukono District, killing them instantly.
The parked truck rolled down hill and hit the school gate where the children were waiting to enter, crashing them dead.
According to Mr Boniface Byamukama, a resident of Mukono Town, the trucks sometimes lose control and fail to break, causing mayhem to the neighbouring structures and businesses.
"These vehicles are sometimes unable to apply the brakes instantly and in the due course, the drivers lose control and run into people's businesses and sometimes many lives are lost," Mr Byamukama said.
Heavy trucks and fuel tankers have on many occasions paralysed traffic, causing frustration among most road users, let alone causing fatal accidents, especially around the city centre.
Areas around Nakawa Industrial Area and business places such as Kikuubo, market and fuel stations are most affected.
Incidentally, most trucks and fuel tanks have to cross through the city streets to access the warehouses and fuel stations where they have to deliver different commodities.
Heavy trucks and trailers contribute significantly to the road accidents that happen in Uganda.
Road accidents
The annual police crime report statistics of 2014, showed that at least 21.2 per cent of the road accidents in Uganda involved heavy tonne vehicles, 13.2 per cent of the accidents involved trailers and semi-trailers, 44.6 per cent involved fuel trucks, 24.2 per cent involved medium vehicles and 0.3 per cent involved dual purpose vehicles.
Mr Steven Kamwenge, a taxi driver plying the Nakawa-Strencher-Ntinda road, reveals that the heavy trucks that turn around that road as they deliver goods to different warehouses have not only kept that road in bad shape, despite the different rehabilitation processes, but also caused traffic discordance.
Last year, KCCA made a media proclamation to the effect that it was coming up with a new law restricting vehicles exceeding four tonnes from moving or parking in the city's Central Business District.
Vehicles that contravene the above directive would reportedly be liable to pay a fine to the tune of Shs4m.
An official from KCCA was quoted as saying: "The restrictions will be introduced because the heavy duty vehicles are to blame for the congestion on certain roads in Kampala. Certain roads in Kampala will be gazetted in the near future principally for the use by heavy vehicles," the official said.
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago blamed the failure to implement of some of these critical resolutions on government that he said wastes a lot of time fighting wars to oust him and disrupting the metropolitan physical planning authority.
"These are some of the critical laws I wanted to enforce but instead of concentrating, the government is busy interrupting my work. We are coming up with robust traffic laws," Mr Lukwago said.
He, however, explained that rules have been drafted to ensure heavy-duty vehicles going for long journeys don't pass through the city centre. He added that need to access the city centre should do so at night.
Police speaks out
The Traffic and Road Safety spokesman, Mr Charles Ssebambulidde, said banning heavy vehicles from accessing the city is impossible given the big businesses that are located in the city centre.
The overwhelming situation of traffic remains a big debate among most road users and the answers are too far-fetched in accordance to what the general public expects to hear.
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