By: Nyima Sillah
The former spokesperson of an APRC splinter group Pa Modou Mbowe has maintained that the current nationwide road-clearing operation was overdue, considering the traffic nightmare of drivers and commuters.
“The police’s road-clearing is long overdue. Critics are welcome because everyone is entitled to his/heropinion,” he added.
According to Mr. Mbowe, in any development intervention, some people will be affected but added that if the majority is okay with it, that’s democracy.
“That is called democracy because democracy speaks of majority,” Mr. Mbowe told The Voice.
He explained that the commuting time on Bakoteh/Tippa Garage Road and Westfield/Sayer JobeAvenue was two hours, adding that this had forced commuters and drivers to abandon the roads.
“I cannot remember when was the last time I drove on Sayerr Jobe Avenue simply because of the inconvenience of time wasting purely because of the street hawkers, taking advantage because no one is stopping them,” he stated.
Mbowe described the operation as excellent, expressing the hope that it’ll be spread across the country to promote safety on the roads and efficiency in commute time. He stressed that people do not have to spend hours on Sayer Jobe Avenue just to commute.
The former APRC executive explained that the road-clearing exercise has also provided room for cyclists to move freely, adding that all the sidewalks were being occupied by street vendors which, he said, wasn’t right.
He emphasized that the operation inside the Serrekunda market is also another development, adding the situation there was terrible, especially during the rainy session.
“Some parts need to be demolished so they can be redeveloped. There must be a demolition. You cannot wait or give time to everyone to settle down because the inside of the market is old,” Mbowe argued.
He asserted that priority should be given to the previous occupants of the affected shops in the reallocation process.
