By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has welcomed the reintroduction of traffic lights on major streets across Freetown.
“An introduction of the traffic lights will mean that we can focus better on fighting crime. Nobody was born to be a traffic warden,” Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patrick Johnson told Politico Tuesday.
His comment comes amidst rumors that the SLP is not happy with the idea of traffic lights. The erection of the facility on principal streets will mean that there will be less interaction between traffic officers and drivers on the roads.
Accusations of extortion and bribery have been made several times by bike riders and motor drivers. On Monday there was a seat down strike initiated by bike riders across the city and one of their major complaints was the constant harassment they face from Police officers who allegedly demand bribes.
Presidential Spokesperson Abdulai Bayraytay was quoted in the Economist this week saying: “The traffic police are perceived as being very corrupt, and if we limit human contact in road services there will be less misconduct.”
To re-echo the statement of Bayraytay, an Anti- Corruption perception survey has in the past ranked the SLP among the most corrupt public institutions in the country. A positive appetite in embracing the traffic lights by the Police has been seen by some as a step in clearing that perception.
According to the Director of Safety and Enforcement at the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Major Thomas Sandy, the project is in its pilot phase.
“Traffic lights have been absent from the country for the last 32 years. The government is trying to reintroduce them on the roads once more,” Sandy said to Politico.
SLRSA is responsible to ensure safety on the roads and it does so by prescribing safety standards which regulate the activities of drivers and other road users.
This government agency is one of the many stakeholders that have been engaged for the reintroduction of traffic lights, alongside the SLP.
Already, the lights have been installed in two locations; Zonta bye-pass drive at Youyi Building, and at the Methodist Girls High School junction along Congo Cross.
Traffic lights are usually installed at the side of the street and over it. They have three colors; green, red and yellow. These lights are meant to control traffic flow at a given point; this is done by the display of the different colors of the light. Red signals that vehicles should stop, after some seconds it will display yellow, which means drivers should get ready to move and the green is a signal for them to move.
At the moment the two traffic lights are only displaying amber alert. SLRSA said this is because work is still ongoing. And from evidence on the ground indications are that they are constructing the structures that will house the power system for the lights. The project will also entail the construction of a control center.
There has been no official statement to the Sierra Leone public about the details of the project but Mr Bayraytay’s interview with the Economist revealed that the government is funding it.
Meanwhile, there have been concerns expressed by some members of the public over the level of education drivers, riders and pedestrians would need to cope with the new introduction.
SLRSA say it will embark on sensitization for the public.
And CSP Johnson told Politico that the police had already started radio programs and that intended to prepare jingles in local languages for the public to understand the instructions of the traffic lights.
“Very soon we will embark on sensitizing the public on how these lights will work. We are currently preparing jingles in the local lingua franca for everyone to understand,” he said.
As confirmed by the SLRSA officials, the project is still in its pilot phase. It is not clear when the lights will be fully operational but Major Sandy hinted that it could take a while.
“We still have to do more work. We are trying to arrange things like phasing, which will involve the programming of the lights; how many seconds should it take before the display of each light; and all this has to be carefully done. If we don’t get it right there is a huge chance of causing confusion in the street,” he said.
The introduction of traffic lights will mean that the number of traffic police officers deployed on the street will have to be reduced. According to CSP Johnson there are currently up to 200 traffic police officers in the whole country, most of them stationed in the Western Area.
The police traffic director insisted that they were ready for the change as it would help them do their job better. He added that the Police have other functions to perform in the streets that the lights could not take care of.
“We will still have the officers stationed in different points to actually enforce the law on defaulters. We will have officers as well patrolling on bikes for the same function. Our presence will be reduced, but we will still be on the streets.”
Some ordinary Sierra Leoneans appear to support this view.
Chernor Conteh, a taxi driver, told Politico that despite the technology the Police officers must still be present to enforce the law.
“If we follow the instruction of the light, driving will be simpler. But then again we need the police to be on the street for defaulters,” he said.
Chernor said he had been driving for over 30 years and was familiar with how the lights work. But he cautioned that the new generation of drivers may need thorough sensitization.
With such a change, there is a danger of taking away the human presence from the streets and this may lead to drivers and riders deliberately ignoring the traffic lights and other road signs. But according to the SLRSA and the Police, cameras will be installed in the areas where the lights are operational. The footages from the camera will directly be relayed to a command center and the Police will be able to monitor and track defaulters, they explained.
Such a scenario looks perfect but there is always a question of how the lights will be powered. The company responsible for the project, Electro Module Sierra Leone, has suggested that it may use the electricity grid in the country, a generator or an Uninterrupted Power Supply [UPS] device.
In a country where power supply is erratic, many will hope that the company gets the power solution right. If it fails, besides the terrible gridlock that will grip the city, lives could also be lost.
Also, Sierra Leone is renowned for its poor maintenance culture; and it is not clear how these lights will be managed. But the Director of Safety and Enforcement at SLRSA said the company which is fixing the lights will have to draw up a plan as to how they will be maintained.
Like corruption, traffic is a daily problem in Sierra Leone. Many will hope that the reintroduction of these traffic lights will stem the tide of corruption and help the free flow of traffic.
(C) Politico 18/05/16
