Africa-Press – Angola. Pillars eroded by erosion, huge holes in their structures, heaps of rubbish, faeces, the nauseating smell of urine, street vendors, puddles of water and other obstacles mark the pedestrian streets of Luanda which, at night, gain another dimension, with the registration of robberies due to lack of lighting.
A misstep in many of these metallic structures can be fatal, due to some holes in the base. It is certainly a danger in sight. In all parts of Luanda, the population is clamoring for help for immediate intervention by the competent authorities, in order to avoid greater damage at any moment.
“Urgent measures need to be taken to preserve these important social and economic infrastructures”, said a citizen, questioned by our reporting team on Estrada da Samba. motorcyclists. But the reality is completely different. Motorcycle taxi drivers, aiming to shorten distances, do it at will, putting the lives of citizens in danger.
In the city of Luanda, according to a source from the Provincial Office of Transport, Traffic and Urban Mobility of the Provincial Government of Luanda (GPL), 141 pedestrians are registered. The municipality of Viana, according to a study carried out in November 2019, has 36 pedestrian crossings, followed by Luanda with 29, Cacuaco 28, Kilamba Kiaxi 18, Talatona 15, Cazenga 8 and Belas 7.
Estrada da Samba, also known by motorists as Estrada Nacional (EN) 100, has several pedestrian paths, with emphasis on those located near the Maternal-Infant Centre, Cosal (by Hyundai) and the Morro da Luz stop.
There is an interconnection between the asphalt and the seaside areas, some located in the upper part, that is, with the neighborhoods Prenda, Rocha Pinto and Morro da Luz. But the heaps of garbage, feces, degraded water and the base of the floor, frequent passage of motorcycle taxi drivers put the Cosal and Centro Materno Infantil da Samba pedestrian streets on alert signals.
Due to the lack of lighting on the pedestrian streets of Samba, crossing at night became a “life or death” challenge for pedestrians, with the marginals controlling who passed.
“Normal circulation at night is increasingly difficult. The pedestrian crossings on Estrada da Samba and Morro da Luz, due to the wave of armed robberies and piles of rubbish, register the absence of pedestrians. People prefer to cross on the road ”, added the citizen approached in Samba.
“Open-air bathrooms”
The Jumbo pedestrian street, located in one of the prime areas of the city of Luanda, Praça da Independência, is known among city dwellers as an emblematic work in architectural terms. Designed as an authentic “boa constrictor”, pedestrian, on Avenida Deolinda Rodrigues or Estrada de Catete, it is a hideout for crooks. It is also the home of homeless people.
Inoperative for years, for unknown reasons, the majestic infrastructure has become an authentic open-air bathroom. It is the place chosen by some people to, day or night, defecate, urinate and practice acts of prostitution. The lack of inspection places the Jumbo pedestrian street as a singular and unpredictable place.
Joana Caetano, a salesperson selling mobile top-ups and foreign exchange at the site, reported several occurrences. “This pedestrian crossing is one of the first built on Estrada de Catete. If during the day it is a bathroom, at night it shelters criminals who rob students”, she explained. “Prostitution is another plague on the pedestrian crossing. It has become one of the areas for trysts, despite the stench.”
reference pedestrian
Civil engineer Edmundo Sapalalo said that the Jumbo pedestrian crossing, made of reinforced concrete, in the Vila Alice area, is a benchmark in Luanda, but is inoperative due to its poor state of conservation.
“It is necessary to rescue the feeling of belonging, because we are talking about a pedestrian path that is part of the heritage of public goods. It is a means that helps, in what way, the crossing of pedestrians in that area and maintains the beauty and aesthetics of the city of Luanda”, he said.
He explained that the recovery of these degraded pedestrian crossings involves frequent visual and physical inspections, every six months, as a measure to detect irregularities.
Frequent cleaning of the profiles, carrying out welding work, retightening nuts and bolts, with the recommended calibrations, is another solution, as well as applying anticorrosive films and painting (protection film) with two to four hands.
Sapalalo reveals that there are still many places with a lack of pedestrians in Luanda. He cites, as an example, the area of Mabor, next to Praça das Mulheres, which lacks a pedestrian crossing, with the utmost urgency, given the demand for people to cross the area.
Numbers by municipalities and state of conservation
BELAS – There are eight (8) pedestrian walkways, one of which is inoperative, all shared with the municipality of Talatona. Of this number, four are in good condition and three reasonable, with lighting only in one and six with the system completely vandalized.
CAZENGA – There are eight pedestrian crossings in this part of Luanda, two of which are shared with the municipality of Cacuaco and two with the municipality of Kilamba Kiaxi. There was only one pedestrian street with good lighting and six with completely vandalized lighting.
CACUACO – There are 28 pedestrian walkways, one of which is shared with the municipality of Viana. Thirteen are in good condition and 15 are in fair condition. Only one has partial lighting and 23 have vandalized lighting systems.
LUANDA – In the municipality of Luanda there are 26 pedestrian crossings, of which three are shared with the municipality of Kilamba Kiaxi and two with the municipality of Cazenga. Data provided by the GPL indicate that 17 pedestrian crossings are in good condition and 10 fair. Two are in poor condition.
TALATONA – 15 pedestrian walkways have been built, of which six are shared with the municipality of Belas and three with the municipality of Kilamba Kiaxi. Of the existing pedestrian walkways, 11 are in good condition and four are in fair condition. Three pedestrian areas have lighting and 12 were completely vandalized.
VIANA – In this region of Luanda, 36 pedestrian crossings were installed, one of which is shared with the municipality of Cacuaco and another with Cazenga. The technical state of the pedestrian crossings reveals that 17 are in excellent condition and 12 are fair. Of this number, five (5) are degraded and two out of service.
Missing screws and steps
On National Road 230, towards the municipality of Viana, is the pedestrian road to Belavista, which connects the municipalities of Cazenga and Viana. During the day, there is a huge population concentration in the area. The Belavista pedestrian street, even though it is new, is dominated by street vendors.
On every corner, there is a seller. Despite the recent metal structure, after a thorough look, the lack of screws and metal steps that make up the pedestrian walkway caught our eye. The infrastructure is located a few meters from a police station.
It is on the bank belonging to the municipality of Cazenga that the miscreants completely took the screws and their steps. The infrastructure was left without the stairs, which endangers the lives of its users. Despite the frantic movement of people and goods, warning signs are lacking.
Any movement towards that zone could be a fatality. Hence the warning: the perimeter must be isolated immediately. Not far from the Belavista and Robaldina areas is the Estalagem pedestrian street, also known as Mamã Gorda.
Like Fermat, which connects the buildings of Filda to the municipality of Kilamba Kiaxi, in the pedestrian area of Estalagem (Mamã Gorda) citizens are at serious risk. Of essential value to the populations of Bairro da Mamã Gorda and the inhabitants of Campo do Jacaré, the plating is completely corroded by rust, with holes and loose sheets. In fact, at each step, the old plating makes a threatening sound. Pedestrians ignore the signs of landslide and circulate normally.
For Adelaide Fernandes, pedestrians deserve special attention. “We cannot avoid crossing under these conditions. Drinking water and the market for goods and services are on the side of the old Estalagem market. We are forced to take risks, even knowing the poor state of conservation”, said, visibly sad, Adelaide Fernandes .
On National Road 100, which connects the provinces of Luanda and Bengo, we find the pedestrian Tanque de Água de Cacuaco, a reference among Luandans and Cacuaco city dwellers. Located between two pedestrian crossings, it registers the highest influx of people on the crossing, during the day and night.
Known as the Blue Pedestrian Street, the setting is identical to that of pedestrian streets such as Ponte Amarela, in Viana, Che-Guevara, Bairro Popular and Cemitério da Sant’Ana. Street vendors, motorcycle taxis and rubbish heaps.
risk crossing
The well-known pedestrian streets of the Che-Guevara school, in the Bairro Popular or Stop of Sonangalp and Velório of the Provincial Government of Luanda, in the vicinity of the San’Ana Cemetery, despite being in an excellent state of conservation, were invaded by street vendors.
The street vending situation has obstructed the free movement of people. On site, our report found that many people, to avoid the hassle of street vendors, choose to cross the road, running the risk of being run over.
We head towards the Shoprite and Fermat pedestrian crossings, on Estrada Nacional 230 or Estrada de Catete. It is on the Fermat pedestrian street where the danger lies. Made of metal, the advanced state of degradation is visible.
Loose sheets, corroded supporting pillars, holes in the passageway structure and frequent shaking due to the movement of vehicles. “It’s a pedestrian path unsuitable for people with heart problems”, shot one of the passers-by. It’s the pedestrian path often used by the people in the buildings of Filda, Vila da Mata and other parts of the municipality of Cazenga and Capolo, in Kilamba Kiaxi. forces many pedestrians to challenge the skill of motorists.
This is the case of the Grafanil Military Judicial Police Unit level crossing, a few meters from the pedestrian crossing next to Fermat. According to reports, there have been several accidents in recent months, many of which resulted in deaths.
The lack of another pedestrian path nearby, to facilitate the crossing between the municipalities of Cazenga and Kilamba Kiaxi, leaves the popular with no alternative. “We don’t have another one nearby. The Shoprite pedestrian is far away”, said Mário Dongala.
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