Staff Reporter
The Government has swiftly moved in to decongest urban roads and address the challenges of poor lighting in the country’s cities.
Addressing members of the press after yesterday’s 14th Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa said Cabinet has tasked the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, July Moyo, to chair a committee that will ensure the decongestion of the country’s urban roads.
“Cabinet notes that there is increased economic activity due to the decisive interventions by Government on the financial sector. Additionally, the easing of the lockdown measures, the increased availability of fuel on the local market, and increased economic activity, has seen the number of cars on our roads increase and this has resulted in vehicle traffic congestion.
“To that end, an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works has been directed to look into decongesting the roads and addressing the poor lighting in our cities. Road users are also reminded to be cautious on the roads and observe the laid down regulations, as some are now causing chaos,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
Most of the country’s cities face challenges of congestion being caused by malfunctioning traffic lights as well as poor roads as the opposition led urban councils are failing to deliver on their mandate.
Realising failure by the MDC led councils to service the country’s urban roads and decongest the cities, Government has since directed the department of roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development to take over a number of roads from urban councils.
The approved list of specified roads includes 16 roads in Bulawayo, 32 in Harare, nine in Manicaland Province and 38 in Mashonaland East Province among other urban roads.
Moreover, in a bid to decongest the country’s roads and make them passable, the Government has already set aside ZWL$33.6 billion for the second phase of the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2) that was officially launched by President Mnangagwa in Mt Darwin last month.
