NRA raises concern over road accidents in Gambia

At a press briefing on Wednesday held at the NRA office, NRA deputy Managing Director Sulayman Sumareh Janneh said there have been serious accidents occurring on the newly constructed Bertil Harding Highway, adding that it was a mandate on them to educate the public to use the roads effectively and safely.

“Our intention is to build a road that is going to be very comfortable and convenient for everybody to travel safely to and from their various places of business and workplaces,” he said.

In his remarks on the occasion, NRA Managing Director Ousman Sanyang said safety on the roads is their responsibility and their mandate is to enlighten people to use the roads safely.

He pointed out that most accidents were not caused by poor road designs but mainly by driver’s behaviour, saying that road congestion also added to the poor use of the roundabouts which most drivers do not understand.

 “When safety and convenience are laid to me as engineer, I will always choose and address safety rather than people's convenience,” the NRA MD declared.

The MD further enlightened the audience that the authority had plans to embark on a major awareness campaign for safety on roads.

The campaign would be to meet the people tour, educate the police, drivers and all stakeholders before the Bertil Harding Highway road opens to traffic, he explained.

MD Sanyang further revealed that the authority would provide template road signs in terms of speed limit and lane mapping because the roads were built by standards and they would want the drivers to avoid overtaking as well.

Commissioner for Mobile Traffic, Lamin King Colley, shed light on the records of accidents that happened on the newly built roads within the year of 2023.

He said that the meeting was timely because the number of accidents, especially the head-to-head accidents by drivers, needed to be addressed. He said all those accidents might be reckless driving, over speeding, careless driving and drunk driving.

“Drivers need to be cautious of road maps and the sign boards because those signs represent a police officer,” he said.

The president of the Gambia Transport Union, Omar Ceesay, said they were committed to working with the NRA in making sure drivers follow due process of traffic rules and if any driver fails to abide, the police can do their work.

Bakary Manneh, NRA Road Safety Engineer, said it is primarily their responsibility to teach drivers how to use the roads especially the newly built ones, adding that it was unfortunate that the roads were becoming a death trap for the people. He also said the government was not spending millions on roads for them to become a death trap for the citizens.

“There are laws governing the roads, but if accidents continue to happen like this, it is better we close the roads and wait until everything is done, especially sign boards and lanes provided,” Mr Manneh reasoned.