From Fawaz Muhammad
In a bid to ensure Auchi roads observe little or no accidents and a free flow of traffic, the relevant authorities have to place a ban on heavy-duty vehicles plying the roads inside the community during peak traffic periods to avert the fatal road crashes occasioned by brake failure which is common with heavy-duty vehicles.
Some of these heavy-duty trucks use the town as a bypass to avoid the Agbede axis of the Benin-Auchi highway which is in a deplorable condition while others are coming in to deliver goods to their owners.
Lives and properties are lost in avoidable accidents on these routes and uncountable Man-hours are lost in traffic—the crawling national economy suffers incalculable losses.
These trucks have been the major cause of road accidents which have been ongoing for weeks now. There have been more than five(5) road crashes within a week—a cement-carrying truck crashed near UBA bank last Sunday; yesterday, a truck ran over a motorcyclist and a passenger; a man was crushed by a truck yesterday evening; today a PMS tanker ran over a Toyota Hilux at UBA bank junction.
When these gruesome accidents occur, most people resort to looting the trucks e.g. most people loot cement and others extract diesel from the tanks of the fallen mechanical giants. We have had cases of cement being looted off trucks by passers-by.
Another case that leaves so much bitterness in the mouth is when the Nigeria Police Force was alleged to have auctioned cement from the truck that killed and injured dozens of people on black Wednesday.
It is also worthy of mention that these trucks plying these routes are causing unprecedented damage to the roads—which were not constructed to bear such heavy amounts of traffic and will lead to a rapid deterioration of the roads.
Let us remember the proverb which says, “a stitch in time saves nine.”
My Recommendations to curb this menace:
1. Barricades/cross bars should be placed at strategic entry points of Auchi.
2. The trucks should be banned from going through the community between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM.
3. Security forces should be mandated to supervise the opening and closing of these barricades.
4. Speed-breakers(preferably speed tables) should be constructed on the busy axis of the community e.g. Igbo shade
5. Heavy-duty trucks conveying goods into the community should be given a park on the outskirts of the community.
6. Business owners should keep delivery trucks in this park outside the community till the entry time or use mini-trucks and vans to convey their goods—from the outskirts of town where the heavy-duty trucks are parked.
7. There should be a monitoring committee making sure of adherence.
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