By Nasratu Kargbo
Pedestrians, drivers, and shop owners have expressed concerns over the difficulties they face as a result of street parking; resulting to traffic congestion and sometimes road crashes in parts of the central business districts of Freetown and therefore calls for swift action.
Speaking to Politico on the 25th of January this year, Maseray Swarray explained that as a pedestrian she finds it difficult to move freely because, in most streets, cars have occupied the footpaths. “So as a pedestrian I am left with no option but to walk on the streets”, she said. Swarray said this can lead to accidents, noting that drivers would normally hock horns causing panic and in some situations accidents.
A car owner Thomas Salifu Kanu mentioned that street parking obstructs the free flow of traffic in the capital.He explained that the city has many feeder roads that can be used to ease traffic on the main streets. “Drivers are able to navigate their way through if there is any breakdown or problem on the main road”, he stated. However, according to Kanu these roads are normally flooded with cars that are parked all over the roads, adding that most of the roads have been turned into garages.
“One of the problems we face as a country is the unavailability of parking space; this has caused car owners to use the footpath to park their cars,” Dauda explained. He mentioned how the whole city lacks a standard parking space, stating that it is one thing stakeholders in that area should look into.
Dauda said street parking has made driving in Freetown very difficult and stressful. “If you are driving a manual car you have to switch from one gear to the other several times in order for you not to hit an object”, he pointed out. He said one has to be extra conscious not to hit or scratch someone’s car whiles driving.
Businesswoman Hawa Koroma explained that most times cars packed on the streets block their shops front which makes it difficult for customers to see their goods, but admitted they do not have a choice, because most of them say they have right to park on the street.
The Public Relations Officer at the Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority Abdul Karim Dumbuya has assured Sierra Leoneans that they will continue to clamp and tow cars and vehicles that continue to park on the streets.
He noted that people should avoid parking their cars on the main streets, and highlighted Waterloo Street, Wellington Street, Pultney Street, and Liver Pool Street amongst the places that he referred to as “Side Streets”, that car owners can park on those streets without any fear that their cars will be clamped.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (26/01/22)
