BY NDUMBE BELL JOSEPH GASTON IN DOUALA
Increasing loss of lives and property every year in Douala metropolis prompted concertation by the office of the Douala City Mayor, the SDO of Wouri and transport syndicates to look into the major causes of this phenomenon, share ideas and experiences, to find lasting solutions to the circulation problems in Douala and its environs.
The meeting on Wednesday, April 20 that held at Salle de Fêtes, Akwa and co-chaired by the Wouri S.D.O. Benjamin Mboutou and Douala City Mayor Dr.Mbassa Ndine, hinged especially on highlighting the drawbacks caused by heavy trucks that have been identified as one of the leading causes of related accidents, congestion, traffic jams, wastage in fuel consumption, fatigue and distress, among the commuters or road users.
To change things according to the theme “Make Douala a modern metropolis as we look into the future” the Douala City Mayor Dr.Mbassa Ndine affirmed the raison d’être of the coming together of stakeholders and revealed envisaged plans of carving out special parking lots and road networks for heavy vehicles in the metropolis. This will be followed by stronger legislation on defaulters. Other issues such as the circulation problems at PAD, the State of the vehicles, excessive speed and lack of effective breaks, were comprehensibly addressed.
As he drew the attention of officials from related ministries, private sector and related syndicates, the SDO Benjamin Mboutou addressed the lack of facilities at the eastern and western flanks of the city. He went on to say that a decision had been taken to stop the circulation of heavy freights at certain periods of the day but that the orders were not being respected. Today, they are to put in place a set of actions, including regular sensitisation and regular consultations, “I personally initiated an order stopping the circulation of heavy duties from 7 am to 21 pm but there were many complaints. We are here to address all issues so that even the time wasted on roads before reaching home should not be that stressful. Statistics from the police in 2021 show 241 lives and over 4000 property lost.