Liberia: Lack of Traffic Lights Hindering Traffic, Pedestrians Crossing

Monrovia – Huge traffic is a common challenge for drivers and pedestrians of Liberia’s metropolis. But when all the traffic lights are off, the problem becomes compounded.

Report by Jackson F. Kanneh 00231770195412 Jackson.f .[email protected]

In Monrovia and Paynesville cities traffic lights at almost all major intersections have been off for several months now.

FrontPage Africa understands that most of the Chinese donated solar-power traffic lights stationed at major intersections are not working due to electrical faults.

According to our source within in the Ministry of Public Works, Liberians were not trained to maintain and repair the lights after they were installed.

Moses Carter, the Liberia National Police spokesman, says traffic police officers are going through challenges to regulate the traffic at various intersections.

Carter says the presence of lights eases the traffic, but also attributed the situation to “the old-age” movement of pedestrians in the city.

He said there is always traffic because huge number of people make their way to central Monrovia in the morning for work, school or business purposes.

The LNP is making effort to control the huge traffic that is visible in almost every part of Monrovia, he said.

“Our officers are doing everything to put the traffic under control even without the traffic lights. We are managing for now until these lights can be fixed,” he says.

However, in many instances traffic police officers abandon their post or none are assigned at a particular intersection. These situations cause drivers of vehicles to behave recklessly, thereby stalling traffic or putting pedestrians at risk.

Most times pedestrians, mostly school-going children, aging people or the disabled find it difficult crossing very busy streets that are without traffic lights or unattended by LNP officers – leaving drivers to decide their fate.

meanwhile, some drivers have expressed dissatisfaction due to the delay in fixing the traffic lights. They say the huge traffic in Monrovia is affecting businesses, making them unable to meet up with their daily cash report.

“There is traffic almost every part of this city; I cannot make the number of trips I used to make when there were traffic lights,” said Mohammed Kamara, who sounded fraustrated.

Like Kamara, Romeo Kollie, a bus driver in the commercial market of Red Light is also struggling to meet up with his daily report. “There is traffic in the morning; there is traffic in the afternoon. What kind of country are we living in? Some of us are frustrated by this traffic that is found almost everywhere, the rightful authority needs to do something about it,” Kollie said.