By: Sulayman Waan
Cross-section of people have resentful over poor transport system within the Kanifing Municipality and West Coast Region (WCR) citing traffic congestion, double or triple fares that drivers imposed on commuters and insufficient road network within destinations in these regions.
Speaking to The Voice in an Exclusive Interview with Amadou Jallow, a commercial driver said that traffic congestion is the greatest challenge for commercial drivers within the KMC and WCR.
“The traffic congestion wastes our fuel because we [the commercial drivers] will not be able to reach the destination we are going so quickly. In fact frequent stopping on the road will damage our clutches,” he said.
According to him, the traffic jam is caused by insufficient roads within these two regions, saying all the vehicles travelling between Westfield to Brikama are using only one road [Banjul- Brikama High Way]. “For this nightmare to be addressed the government has to construct more roads in these two regions,” he recommended.
Nfamara Manneh, Taxi driver also said that the frequent traffic congestion is hampering the transportation of goods and services particularly in the morning when the masses is going to work and in the evening when people are coming from work.
“There is urgent need for government to construct the road linking Jeshwang to Abuko and another road linking Latrikunda Germany to Welingara so as to minimize the traffic congestion,” he called on the government awkwardly.
“The road linking Churchill Town to Abuko should also be constructed in order to reduce the traffic burden on the Westfield- Brikama High Way,” The frustrated Taxi driver suggested.
Momarr Saine, a commuter also described the condition of traffic within KMC and WCR as horrible, saying many people find difficult to reach their working places or home owing to the delay they encounter on the traffic.
“I always find it difficult to get a commercial car going directly to Brikama. Mostly I will spent about D40 before reaching Brikama because I will board a commercial car going to Tallinding and then alight, board another one to Latrikunda from there to Tabokoto and finally to Brikama,” he complained bitterly.
He argued that the traffic congestion should not induce the drivers to impose triple fares on the public because they should know all Gambians are the same and one people. While stressing that all the commuters are suffering due to this nightmare and urged all commercial drivers to be united so as to make travelling easy for the masses in this part of the country.
For his part Ebrima Gabba Cham, Secretary General for Gambia National Trade Union Congress which is affiliated to Transport Union told this reporter that the Gambia Transport Union (GTU) is interested in addressing all the challenges affecting the public transport sector. He also added that the union had made series of efforts to address these challenges.
“We have organized TV show in order to come up with mechanisms to tackle the traffic congestion as well as the triple fare drivers imposed on commuters,” he noted.
However, he opined that government needs to construct more satellite roads within the KMC to ensure the traffic is decongest and added that a Central Car Park should be invented within the KMC to enable the Transport Union to have control over the commercial drivers.
“Without that we will find it difficult to control the commercial drivers. If a place like Buffer Zone is transformed to a Car Park it will be decent as every commuter will have a commercial car going directly to his/ her destination. The numerous fares that the public is complaining about will be the talk of the past as well,” he said.
The National Youth Mobilliser for GDC, Momodou MC Cham also told this reporter that the traffic congestion is a nightmare within the KMC. He called on the government to work with the Transport Union to ensure that this issue is resolved. “Many commercial cars were operating here [in the country] during Yahya Jammeh’s era but the double or triple fares between destinations were not happening,” The young politician noted.
