By Alpha Abu
Members of the Bike Riders Union in the Western Area have meet with senior Traffic Police Officers and the leadership of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) in Freetown to forge a common ground in their day to day interaction.
The meeting organised by the National Council for Civic Education and Development (NaCCED) was to help bridge mistrust, and foster friendly working relationship between Commercial Bikers, Traffic Police officers and Traffic Wardens.
NaCCED Chairman Kalilu Totangi told the gathering about the important role the bikers and their regulators, the Police and SLRSA, play in the movement of people and goods.
He underscored NaCCED’s primordial objective of bringing people together for the peace, security and progress of the country.
He said NaCCED decided to bring them together to achieve unity, otherwise problems in that sector of transportation will continue. He noted the presence of a platform for all to engage in frank discussions and develop resolutions that would serve as framework that they can all follow to enhance their working relationship.
The engagement which was attended by Police National Traffic Co-ordinator AIG Brima Kanneh, SLRSA Executive Director Reverend Smart K. Senesie and the Bike Riders Union President Umaru Talie Bah, and other senior officials from the various sectors, discussed the contentious issue of the Central Business District (CBD) that prohibits commercial bike travel, late issuance of licence and the unregulated bike parks strewn across the Western area.
Fake licence, reckless riding, and violence were also highlighted. The various speakers praised NaCCED for initiating such a dialogue and said it would help bring sanity and proper co-ordination to bike riding.
AIG Kanneh used the engagement to tell bikers not to comply to any so-called booking in the bike parks on behalf of any traffic police officer, warning of dire consequence for any officer found culpable.
An appeal was made to the Sierra Leone Roads Authority to rehabilitate the very bad roads on the hillside by Kissy Road used as diversion route by bikers to restrict them from venturing into the CBD.
A communiqué was later drafted that highlighted the need for clear signs to identify the boundaries of the CBD and proper Identification for the Police Officers charged with the responsibility of manning the CBD.
It was also agreed that bikers should be trained on Traffic Rules and Compliance measures.
The need for proper Zoning of bikers and the police employing better ways in halting and arresting bikes along roads were also noted. It was also resolved that a viable Database of the membership of commercial bikers be developed.
NaCCED is also planning to embark on reaching out to the 52 bike parks already identified in various areas.
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