Boda boda riders still flouting traffic rules
A traffic police officer arrests a boda boda rider along the Kisumu-Nairobi highway in July 5, 2016. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A spot check by the Nation revealed riders are still recklessly breaking rules all over Nairobi city centre, sometimes in the presence of traffic officers.
The boda boda don’t stop at zebra crossings even when other motorists have clearly stopped to allow pedestrians to cross safely, they ride on the wrong side of the road and when traffic jams hit, they turn to pavements and sidewalks.
Days after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) launched a crackdown on rogue motorists, boda boda riders are still flouting traffic rules.
A spot check by the Nation revealed riders are still recklessly breaking rules all over Nairobi city centre, sometimes in the presence of traffic officers.
Boda bodas don’t stop at zebra crossings even when other motorists have clearly stopped to allow pedestrians to cross safely, they ride on the wrong side of the road and when traffic jams hit, they turn to pavements and sidewalks.
At the Haile Sellasie roundabout, for instance, while other motorists respected the stop sign, boda boda riders were seen weaving their motorbikes in and out of the immobile vehicles, get on the curb that borders the August 7th Memorial Park and then joined Moi Avenue, all in the presence of officers who were directing traffic.
Along Moi Avenue, just outside the Bazaar building, where there is clearly no exit or crossing, riders cross from one side of the road to the other, climbing over the curb in the process.
This is despite other motorists whizzing past them. Last week, the NTSA breathed fire and brimstone as they vowed to crackdown on motorists who do not follow traffic regulations, but the blatant abuse of these regulation by cyclists has left many to wonder if they are exempt from the rules.
The authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the National Police Service launched a crackdown targeting all categories of motorists including private vehicles, government, PSV, heavy commercial vehicles and motorcycles.
NTSA chairman Lee Kinyanjui said that main focus of the crackdown is “key things that undermine road safety including speeding and should not be reduced to side shows.”
Among motorists targeted are those found speeding, overloading, causing obstruction or carrying excess passengers.
The crackdown on rogue motorists comes barely weeks after a series of road accidents that have seen more than thirty people lose their lives within two months.
