The Mayor of the Kigali City Fidel Ndayisaba has warned people who use the bicycles to carry people as a business to stop it due to its risky situations where people are likely to lose their lives due to deadly accidents.
Fidel Ndayisaba said that during a weekly show that brought together the State Minister in charge of Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructures, Hon. Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana , the Mayor of Kigali city and journalist Umuhire Valentin, all willing to discuss about the evolution on the recent transport new policies as to increase its effectiveness and efficiency.
Dr Nzahabwanayo said that the new policy was intended to increase the number of buses that provide transport services for the convenience of passengers. It also aimed at reducing the number of cars in streets of Kigali so that the rate of gas pollution may reduce and therefore save the environment.
Both the Mayor of Kigali city Fidel Ndayisaba and the PS Dr Nzahabwanayo Alexis highlighted the need to build new other streets as to facilitate the effectiveness of transport so that traffic jams might currently observable in Kigali might reduce.
Among these streets, Mayor Ndayisaba pointed the one joining Gisozi and Karuruma which is under construction and will be inaugurated soon.
Concerning the current situation where the bicycles resume the activities in Kigali Streets, one of the presenters of the show highlighted her worries about the deaths of riders who get involved into deadly street accidents due to the crowd of cars and motor bikes in Kigali.
In response to this, both Mayor Ndayisaba and Dr Nzahabwanayo underlined the importance of being careful as the transport of passengers using such tools (bicycles) is unlawful and highly dangerous.
The focus was put on the fact that riding one’s bicycle is accepted but using the same tool to transport other people for commercial purposes is prohibited.
Regarding the fact the many people who keep waiting the buses for a relatively long time, invited officials said that two most important things need to be addressed.
These include an intensive mobilization of both drivers and co-drivers so that their might respect the schedule and all traffic regulations as to reduce the time normally spent by passengers waiting buses.
It also links to the widening and increasing of the existing roads and streets of Kigali so to create new exit areas for cars during hours of intensive circulation.
The journalist Valentin Umuhire observed the current increase of the effectiveness of transport in Kigali as particular City, adding that as the cars keep increasing in number, thus the traffic becomes challenging.
Minister Nzahabwanayo revealed the soon-to-be launched system according which the passengers will pay the transport fees without the intervention of the drivers or co-drivers.
This will hopefully help in avoiding the worries that some of drivers had as to hard work as to earn more money, a situation which puts drivers under pressure.
Messages from the listeners highlighted their appreciation for the new policy while others criticized the negativity of the system where more people spend more time hanging out for log buses to be fully attended.
Regarding the role of media in mobilizing the population for the new policy Dr Nzahabwanayo said that the contribution is positive and urge media professionals to keep on doing that.
This weekly show that takes place in the studio of different radio stations (Isango, Izuba, Isangano, Ishingiro and Inkoramutima) aims at increasing the awareness of the population about key issues that made the headlines in media throughout the week.
It is supervised by the Institut Panos-Europe in collaboration with the Association Rwandaise des Journalistes(ARJ).
UM– USEKE.RW
