EASTERN PROVINCE

RWAMAGANA — The district has issued fresh orders to regulate bicycle transport in Rwamagana town. The new directives were issued by Rwamagana Mayor Valens Ntezirembo at a recent impromptu meeting held with bicycle taxi operators’ representatives and the police.

The news orders require cyclists to ride anywhere but not on the highway unlike the earlier guidelines that limited the cyclists to roads outside the town centre. The measures the police say, are intended to further reduce accidents.

In an earlier interview, the district police chief, Superintendent Steven Gaga, blamed the escalating number of accidents in the district on bicycles.

Gaga explained that in 2007, out 77 accidents that occurred in Rwamagana 27 of them were caused by bicycle transporters.

About 16 of the accidents were fatal, of which nine victims were bicycle riders. He said only two accidents occurred on non-paved roads.

"We are not expelling them but we are safeguarding their lives. They risk dying if they continue to ride in the town centre. Most of them do not know any traffic rules. Let them first learn traffic rules,” Gaga said then.

Gaga advised the youth to form associations and contribute money and buy velo-motto (Small motorcycles) to continue earning a living.

Jean-Pierre Gakwandi, the president of ATRA-VELO an association for the cyclists said the members are ready to cooperate and comply with the directive.

"Where as the earlier suspension barred the riders from riding on any tarmac road, the new orders look to be lighter for it only bars riders from encroaching the high way Kigali-Rwamagana-Kayonza,” Gakwandi said.

But a number of other cyclists who talked to this reporter said the directives were uncalled for and should be retracted. They all dismissed claims blaming accidents on bicycles.

They argue bicycle riding is their main source of income and most of their passengers use the high way route which has been declared out of bounds.

In apparent disregard of the regulations, a number of them have continued to ride along the high-way especially in the evening hours.

According to the resolutions of the meeting, identification tags would be issued to all cyclists to facilitate the tracking of errant riders who have often vanished after causing accidents.  

Other regulations reached at the meeting require the riders to dress in uniform during working hours and respect time of work. 

Meanwhile, Gakwandi said about twenty bicycles have been impounded by the police since last week for defying the new orders. The bicycles can only be regained after paying a fine of Frw200.

Ends