State of Lusaka – Ndola road worries govt
Government has bemoaned the state of the Lusaka – Ndola (Great East) Road on which numerous road traffic accidents have occurred from.
Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali said it is extremely urgent that the construction of the Lusaka – Ndola Dual Carriageway starts in earnest.
Tayali said road traffic crashes cause considerable economic losses to individuals, their families and to the nation as a whole, due to the cost of treatment as well as loss of productivity.
He said this in Lusaka today during the commemoration of the World Day of Remembrance for the Road Traffic Accident Victims which is themed “Act for Low Speed/Act for Low Speed Streets.”
“We recently recorded fatal accidents with eight people dying in Kabwe involving a light truck late last month, nine people died in the Chingwere turn-off crash in Lusaka and another tragic accident occurred on the Lusaka – Kabwe road in which we lost two Correctional Officers,” he said.
“All these accidents along the Great North – the section between Lusaka and Ndola. Let me mention that government is concerned about the state of the Lusaka-Ndola road. We shall therefore need to attend to this section of the road as soon as possible since it poses a great risk to improving the country’s road safety profile. It is extremely urgent that construction of the Lusaka – Ndola Daul Carriageway starts in earnest.”
Tayali said government will employ a multi-sectoral approach in the implementation of road safety interventions and ensure that the country continuously improves its road safety profile.
Meanwhile, the Minister called on RTSA and the Zambia Police Service to accelerate interventions to dramatically reduce road traffic crashes.
He urged the two institutions to implement initiatives and strategies that seek to enhance co-ordination, integration, improved Law enforcement, road safety awareness and education for maximum results.
“As a country, we need to continue putting in place workable speed management strategies such as speed zoning, speed calming and speed limit measures including the installation of Global Position System (GPS) devices on long distance public transport vehicles such as buses and trucks,” he said.
“As I conclude, I wish to emphasize that we have to stand with those who have been left permanently injured and those that have lost their loved ones.”
ZR