The traffic in the Western area of Freetown has worsened over the past days mainly due to the road constructions, and the closure of main thoroughfares.
Some would say that motorists and commuters need to be patient and endure the inconveniences which will go away soon as the road engineers try to do as much as possible before the rains.
While this may be a legitimate claim yet it does not mean that the authorities and we mean the Police and Traffic wardens must just sit and allow chaos to reign on the streets.
We hold this view because there is clearly no attempt by them to seriously look into the situation and try in any way to offer some solace to motorists and commuters. For them it seems as if everything should resolve itself naturally without their intervention.
Firstly we expect that the police would have sat down with the roads authority and construction companies to work out a scheduled operation, which will minimise the chaos that is on the roads now.
In that meeting they should have agreed the streets that will be closed and when they will be closed and the periods that the construction workers should work, and get their work done.
The Police with their knowledge of the traffic conditions should have given options. For example there will definitely be chaos if the Ascension town road and Savage Street are closed at the same time. The chaos infact becomes more pronounced because Adelaide Street too is closed. This forces the cars to use the very limited Old Railway line - which has been, made a two-way street by the Police - Dillet street and Pademba road.
The chaos is more pronounced by inexperienced Traffic wardens and traffic police. For instance when the Traffic police at Pademba road Circular Road junction waves on motorists to move towards the Pademba prisons end, that is the time that the Traffic Police at the junction of Campbell street and Pademba road decides to stop this moving line and order the traffic from Campbell street to flow into Pademba road. Ofcourse this makes ineffective the decision by the Traffic Police at the Circular Road Pademba road junction because they soon stop.
This uncoordinated commands by the traffic police and traffic wardens causes those vehicles right down the line from Cotton tree flowing in to pademba road to spend one hour between cotton tree and Percival street. Ofcourse this is because the traffic police or wardens at Bathurst street junction and waterloo street junction also stop to allow vehicles from Hill street and Bathurst street to flow into Pademba road as also those from down Waterloo street. Infact these traffic commanders all along the lines are happy to see the long line along Pademba road but become visibly irritated when they see lines from the side streets and do everything to clear them.
At this stage we believe it is still not too late to remedy the situation. The traffic boss should call the construction companies and roads agencies (Works, Road maintenance, SLRA and SLRTA) and bring out the maps and do some scientific planning.
They should consider night construction for the road works and during the day less work with at least one end of the streets open to ease the madness that is going on now.
We believe the authorities have a duty to ensure that the people get the best of everything and that includes being able to go to work early and get home early with no additional stress than the ones created by unruly commercial drivers and Okadas. May God Help Sierra Leone.
Wednesday February 26, 2014