Numerous SIs cause confusion in transport sector

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 12:49:12 +0000

By SANDRA MACHIMA

STATUTORY Instruments being introduced by the Ministry of Transport are causing confusion because there is no wide consultation among stakeholders.

Commuter Rights Association of Zambia chairperson Aaron Kamuti said the drivers were against those Statutory Instruments that were still being put in place because they had a negative impact on the economy.

Mr Kamuti noted that SI No. 90 of 2016 on the road traffic default speed limits that prescribes the speed limit of 40km/hour would be impossible and a source of confusion because that would affect commuters.

He argued that stakeholders were not consulted to get their views on some of the decisions that were made and that they were only engaged at a time when the Ministry was done with all the processes.

“We are opposed to those SIs that are coming in because as stakeholders, we were not engaged, but only informed after everything is already in the process, and this confusion in the Transport sector will negatively affect the country’s economy as it will pass the burden to commuters and the people doing businesses, if not checked,” he said.

The Minister of Transport and Communications issued the Statutory Instrument (SI) on speed limits, the SI No. 90 of 2016 was also part of the subsidiary legislation under the repealed Roads and Road Traffic Act Chapter 464 of the Laws of Zambia and has now been re-promulgated under the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002.

He said as much as the recently signed SI 76 that banned the moving of public service vehicles had showed difference in its purpose of reducing accidents in the country, there were still ‘loopholes’ because some buses still found a way of moving in the night, especially in the absence of the Road Transport and Safety Agencies.                                                                                                                                          Statutory Instrument No. 90 of 2016: The Road Traffic (Speed Limits) Regulations, 2016

Mr Kamuti appealed to the relevant authority to thoroughly study the measures they were putting in place before they passed them to the public, adding that it was not fair to compel the people to follow such guidelines that did not guarantee solutions to the problem.

He said all those gadgets that were to be introduced to public services could not apply to small buses because they were coming in as vans and were improvised for such, and therefore, even the banning of Hiace buses within the period given would be impossible.