By Alieu Amara Suwu
Dr. Abass Bundu, Hon Speaker of Parliament, has cried out over reckless bike (‘Okada’) ridding on traffic roads especially the Centre Business Districts (CBD) traffic areas, saying that it is a threat to public safety.
Hon Speaker Bundu said this in the Chambers of Parliament when making his usual announcement, on Thursday, 12 January 2023.
He said motor bike riders, like motor vehicle drivers, are subject to traffic rules and are obliged to respect traffic rules; however, their own motor bike riders appear to consider themselves to be above the law. He explained that, when they get to an intersection, instead of waiting to give way to traffic, they find a way to rover around the traffic; navigate their way out of it and in the process present very serious danger to other users of the road.
Okada riders as commonly called by most Sierra Leoneans just like the Nigerians are essential service in the transportation sector, more so during traffic congestion when someone might be in haste to reach his destination.
However, the way they maneuver in traffic has cost the lives of many and left others injured. So, most people consider them reckless and irresponsible notwithstanding their importance during rush hours. Most people consider them as thieves (at night) and have no regard for traffic rules. The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) recently gave a statistic of about 9,623 road crashes that occurred across the country, killing 225 people between January and September 2022. In contrast, the Police said they recorded 3,463 road crashes and 296 deaths within the same period.
During the past administration, the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Major P. Conteh enforced strict rules on the usage of the CBDs, banning Okada riders plying those roads and streets, such as, Kissy Road, Fourah Bay Road, Sani Abacha Street, Macauley Street, Krootown Road, Pademba Road, Circular Road, Campbell Street, Benjamin Lane, Adelaide Street, Savage Street, Main Motor Road Congo Cross, Wilkinson Road, Spur Road, Jomo Kenyatta Road, Rokel Street, Macdonald Street and Fergusson Street.
However, this has not been operational when power changed hands. It was only until recently that the Police Force and SLRSA joined hands to take them off these CBD areas.
