SLRA THINK AGAIN ABOUT PADEMBA ROAD – MENDS STREET JUNCTION
This is one thing we have been doing for FIVE years, at least – we repeatedly call attention to the messy situation in that little stretch of road starting from that road on the side of Pademba road prison down to the junction of Mends Street with Pademba road. Something changed this year though because drainage was constructed near the wall of Pademba road prison to control the flow of water from the small hill near the prison but the problem has now shifted to the area leading to the public works compound, we commonly call PWD and an open area near Mends Street junction. That place is a total mess and it’s in a strategic junction area by which the great and good of Sierra Leone pass daily to and from work.
We are calling for a rethink of the engineering in that area because we know some effort has been made particularly with water now constantly overflowing from that huge drainage causing hell for people in the upper part of Dundas Street. There’s nothing with SLRA engineers bringing their contractors to that place again to do something fresh because what we have there now is just unacceptable. Let’s not pretend this will go away soon. We’ve been told by forecasters that the last few weeks of the rainy season will be ferocious and there might be floods. Let’s prepare now.
AND TALKING ABOUT DUNDAS STREET
The problem at the upper part of Dundas Street is not just about overflowing water and debris; it’s also about the area between Pademba road and Point Street having now been turned into a glorified car wash center. What started with a few boys cleaning cars to make a few Leones has now become a chaotic, even messy street car wash industry, making access whether by car or on foot very difficult and sometimes dangerous because of the aggressive young men running the show there.
To make matters worse, the Environment Protection Agency has relocated to a building in the middle of that chaos. It’s so bad that people visiting the agency for private or official matters have to think twice about driving there or catching a motorbike. People just can’t park cars there anymore for a quick transaction.
We should stress that we like the fact that the young people in that place are working hard to put food on their table. We appreciate that. Some of their colleagues have turned to criminality with all the risks around that. We feel compelled now to urge Orman Bangura to take immediate steps to relocate those boys after building them a nice car wash center like those in other parts of Freetown. At that point Sovula boys would move in and clear the road for normal traffic to resume. It’s that easy.
There would be one mighty confrontation there if Sovula boys attempted to remove the car wash boys without Orman Bangura providing the alternative. They will defend their right to feed themselves by all means and the last thing we want is to create the impression they can go to hell.
WHY IS THAT KILLER VEHICLE STILL ON THE ROAD IN THE EAST?
The good people of Sierra Leone are still trying to come to terms with the loss of three young souls on the road between Daru and Segbwema in the Kailahun district in the east. The three guys were influential members of the ruling SLPP apparently on their way to a party function in nearby Kenema. We are told that they crashed their motorbike head on into a truck that had been abandoned on the road for whatever reason and no effort was made to protect other road users.
More than a week after those needless deaths, the killer vehicle is still on the road, a grim reminder – as if we need any, of how those guys met their untimely deaths. The police or SLRSA should not tell us about any investigation because that will simply be a lie. We say so because that crime scene has been very badly contaminated because some people set the vehicle on fire in anger and we are left with a dangerous wreck on the road. We understand the anger felt by those who destroyed the vehicle but we refuse to understand how burning the vehicle down compensates for the death of the three boys.
We expect the police to investigate that and prosecute those responsible. We shouldn’t let people believe they can take the law into their hands in that way without consequences. For now, let’s clear the danger and also stop reminding the people of their loss.
TURKISH FERRIES TO CHANGE SEA TRAVEL IN SIERRA LEONE
We have just read somewhere that the ministry of Transport under Moba Kabineh has signed an agreement with a Maritime company in Turkey to bring FOUR ferries to Sierra Leone. We don’t have the details of the agreement. All we saw were signed papers being exchanged. We hope this is not one of those agreements that ministers sign only for the cameras and to create false hopes in the minds of the good people of Sierra Leone – a kind of political point-scoring.
Anyway, let’s assume those FOUR ferries actually arrive in our territorial waters to begin operation to Lungi, Bonthe, Shenge, Kychom and possibly between Government Wharf and Murray Town, things will change dramatically. The dangerous and ageing ferries that have served for years and years should then be retired at that stage and those expensive ones serving the upper middle class will be forced into a price war with our Turkish friends. The people of Sierra Leone would be the greatest beneficiaries.
We absolutely need some more information from Moba Kabineh and his partners now before the ferries arrive. For example: when will the project actually take off? How would this company operate, as a Turkish company in Sierra Leone or Sierra Leone has shares in the business? We shouldn’t be speculating like this all over the place because our minister ought to have provided the information.
Anyway, if or when the ferries do come, we hope the operators would pay attention to customer service – they will have clean toilets, they will totally discourage begging, even harassment by all kinds of people on their ferries, they would ALWAYS depart on time, all those who serve on those ferries, including the boys that help people with luggage would be clearly identified with clean uniforms or ID Cards. Newspapers, CDs and books would be sold in restricted areas, playing loud music on the ferries would be banned. We are fed up with the state of things right now.
We will hold it here for now and wait for the agreement to come into force, and for us we MUST see the ferries in this country to take this as a serious business.
FOOTPATHS AND ROAD SIGNS ARE NO MORE AS CHAOS TAKES OVER
It is not an easy task to make your way in major cities of this great country of ours these days. Even on paved roads with properly laid out footpaths, it is very difficult to walk, ride or drive. Footpaths have gone to petty traders and encroachment by unscrupulous individuals. We are deliberately looking for any street in our big cities that has not been messed up. Take Campbell street in Freetown for example, the footpath is gone and for that reason pedestrians are bound to compete with motorists on the street which is very dangerous.
This explains in clear terms why there are so many accidents and frequent conflicts between pedestrians and motorists.
In Bo, Bojon Street has been invaded by so called petty traders. Among those who genuinely go there to trade are criminals serving as informants to armed robbers. These guys deliberately occupied Bojon Street because it hosts most of the banks and other big businesses in that city.
Kenema has lost its natural beauty and unique layout because most streets have been occupied by traders. The main Hanga road is now being encroached upon by traders and people constructing homes.
The situation in Makeni presents the same scenario. On almost all the main roads footpaths have been taken by traders.
Back to Freetown, road signs and decorations are largely missing. Jomo Kenyata road and Hill station are typical examples of missing road signs and decorations. It is dangerous driving on those roads. There are no reflective markings to help people know they are approaching pavements. What’s really going on?
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (27/09/21)
