Police move to contain traffic jams

The traffic department of the National Police has adopted a number of resolutions to reduce pollution and traffic jams within Kigali City, an official has announced. According to the Commander of the Traffic Police, Chief Supt. Vincent Sano, operations to enforce the new directives began early this week. He noted that the focus would be on heavy trucks that offload goods during the day. “The heavy trucks that off-load goods during the day cause a lot of jams; the new directive is to have them start to offload merchandise they carry at 9 p.m. in the evening and conduct the exercise for about six hours,” Sano said. He noted that since there are fewer vehicles moving late in the evening, this would help reduce traffic jams, mainly in the central business district especially during the rush hours. According to Sano, the other resolution is to ban motor vehicles that emit smoke or noxious gases that lead excessive pollution. To enforce this, he said they would work closely with the Automobile Inspection Centre to inspect the vehicles to ensure they do not ruin the environment. He said that some bus stops would also be altered and others put in place. Sano advised automobile owners in the city center to use designated public parking. Jean Pierre Musafiri, a taxi driver, noted that the new resolutions would indeed help reduce jams within the city. He, however, noted that there was still need to sensitise the public about the decisions like the transfer of the bus terminal from the precincts of Rubangura Building to the area near the Kigali Central Prison. “Passengers are always complaining when we refuse to drop them off in the City Centre (near the Rubangura building). Some think we deliberately refuse and even hurl insults at us. So, whichever decisions made should be backed by ample public awareness,” said Musafiri advised. Ends