Africa-Press – Angola. The Provincial Government of Cunene will work to find mechanisms to organize traffic in the city of Ondjiva, through the repair of roads to improve urban traffic and reduce the number of accidents and deaths on the roads, assured this Monday the governor of Cunene, Gerdina Didalelwa.
The governor, who was speaking during the meeting of the Traffic Planning Council, pointed out the resizing of motorcycle taxi activity, at the level of the urban center, through the creation of alternative routes to restrict access on the roads as one of the ways to organize traffic in the urban hull.
On the occasion, he recalled that, currently, 12 buses are available for public transport, a fact that makes it possible to apply Presidential Decree no. 123/2, which regulates transport activity, since the province has sufficient means to transport passengers.
“We want motorcycle taxi drivers to only circulate in peripheral areas, while buses will circulate on the main roads, so that the use of motorbikes in the urban area is gradually reduced”, he said.
According to Gerdina Didalelwa, the majority of road accidents in the province have been involving motorbikes and motor vehicles, resulting in deaths and injuries to several citizens.
To minimize this situation, the official said that an earthworks project was designed on some roads, as well as the creation of public stops to make it easier for the population to identify bus stops.
He also said that, next April, the program to replace traffic signs and pavement crossings will begin, so that the city is properly signposted and prevents pedestrian collisions.
On the other hand, he also called on municipal administrators to intensify the work of raising awareness among local communities about ideal grazing sites and to avoid the movement of animals along the roads.
He highlighted that accidents caused by collisions with animals are frequent, especially on road 105, due to the irresponsibility of breeders who insist on grazing their cattle along the roads and are not collected at night.
Road accidents in Cunene
In the period from November 2023 to February 2024, the Department of Traffic and Road Safety recorded a total of 138 road accidents, resulting in 13 deaths and 151 injuries.
When presenting the data on road accidents, the head of the Study and Planning department of the National Police Command in Cunene, chief superintendent João Pendela, said that compared to the same period last year there was an increase of 65 accidents, four deaths and 79 injuries.
There were also 53 pedestrian collisions, 29 collisions between motorcycles, 24 collisions between motor vehicles and motorcycles and 11 crashes followed by rollovers.
Of these accidents, the municipality of Cuanhama recorded the highest number of accidents, with 79, while Ombadja had 24, Cahama 14, Namacunde 13 and Cuvelai eight cases.
Regarding these accidents, chief superintendent João Pendela pointed to excessive speed, dangerous maneuvers, lack of prudence, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to give way and non-observance of the highway code as the main causes of the accidents.
The Traffic Planning Council meeting aimed to analyze issues inherent to road accidents, the subject of which is complex and worrying, due to the gradual increase in accidents and deaths.
During the meeting, participants analyzed the degree of compliance with the guidelines of the last council, presentation and analysis of the road accident report, information on road signs in the city of Ondjiva and the proposed review of the secretariat of the aforementioned council.
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