By Mosa Maoeng
MASERU
The Ministry of Transport through its arm – Road Safety – have tabled down Christmas campaigns for road safety, which are intended to eliminate road accidents for the safety of Basotho during Christmas holidays.
The campaigns are aimed at teaching and assisting Basotho on road accidents during the festive season. These campaigns have earlier been launched by the Minister of Transport Hon Tšoeu Mokeretla on November 13th and they will end on January 07th 2022.
The Ministry of Transport Public Relations Officer (PRO) Ntumeleng Ntšekhe explained that the campaigns are specifically to share precautions to be followed in order to avoid the road accidents. She further specified that they work with different departments including the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) whereby their duty is to make enforcements where necessary while the Lesotho Defence Force assists with security.
Also aligned with road safety during these Christmas holidays are the newly installed traffic lights initialised by Roads Directorate. The Roads Directorate Public Relations Manager Nozesolo Matela informed that the project has a number of benefits for road users who travel in the city for economic and social purposes. “Some of the benefits are safety and efficacy, which ease traffic flow in the capital city, increased safety of both pedestrians and vehicles traffic, shorter travelling times, reduction of fuel consumption and unblocking of junctions at peak hours,” she highlighted.
The project commenced in August 2021 and it will end in February 2022. She also mentioned that the old traffic lights system is functionally out-dated for the traffic management needs of a rapidly growing city. She added that the out-dated system as well as the increment of vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Maseru roads has prompted the need for an efficient lights system to improve mobility, ease congestion and enhance road safety at intersections around the city.
Matela also mentioned that the project is funded by Road Fund and the total project cost is M10, 260, 811.21 which includes an engineering investigation and a detailed engineering design, hardware and software modernisation and upgrades. She specified that the intersections that the traffic lights will be installed at are Kingsway road and the traffic lights will be at RSA High Commission and Mokorotlong, at Moshoeshoe road they will be at Lerotholi Polytechnic – Fokothi, on A1 road the installation will be made at Lebo’s, HI-FI city and Maqalika whereas Thabong road the installation is at Maseru Cash and Carry.