By Nyima Sillah
Drivers and commuters in the Greater Banjul Area have called on the government to help find pragmatic solution to the burden of traffic jam in town.
Speaking to Musa Manneh, a taxi driver at Serrekunda Westfield, said traffic jam is “becoming worst day by day as it hinders their work.”
“It takes me 1hour before I reach to Westfield and that duration waste half of my fuel tank! Which cause a great lost for me, and driving is where we earn our income,” he said, calling on the traffic police to look into the issue and find a solution immediately.
Babou Drammeh, a student of Gambia Senior Secondary school said every day he reports to school late due to “terrible traffic congest” adding that he sometimes treks from Bakoteh to Westfield.
Getting to school late makes me face so many difficulties during tests and exams because i missed classes every morning, he lamented.
Another driver, Bintou Faye said every morning she drops off her kids to school before going for work, saying she always spends more than one hour on the Brikama highway before reaching to Westfield.
She due to the traffic jam, she reports to work late and her kids don’t get to school on time despite waking at 6am every day to drop off her kids to school
According to Alieu Bah, also a taxi driver, traffic congest is as a result of lack of spacious footpad, as he said “vendors shouldn’t sell on the footpads.”
However, speaking to Mr Sanneh, a police officer, said they are trying their level best to come up with a solution to the issue.
“Investigations are going on to find out whether traffic congest is due to inadequate road or due to the high rate of cars in the country,” he said.
He said traffic congest affect ambulance drivers especially when it has a patient and that can risk the life of the patient.