Staff Reporter
Government is in the process of rolling out a modern technology based traffic enforcement system with cameras for monitoring and surveillance to curtail unruly elements who wantonly flout road traffic regulations because they feel nobody is watching them.
This was revealed in a Press Statement yesterday by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa while giving an update on the interventions taken by Government so far, as part of the ongoing Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2).
Minister Mutsvangwa said Government had noted that failure by Local Authorities to repair street lights was compromising safety of the public, with many reported cases of muggings and sexual offenses.
“Government has taken it upon itself to repair infrastructure such as street lights along major trunk roads, repair and upgrade both traffic lights and signals at major junctions. Government also embarked on an exercise, installing new traffic lights in some areas in order to improve flow of traffic.
“Government is also working on improving the current Zupco services through a number of interventions which include hiring and deployment of more buses, improving on the electronic ticketing system, improving the traffic control system, installation of bus tracking system as well as development of passenger mobile application system for Zupco,” reads part of the Statement.
Minister Mutsvangwa revealed that Government will resource both the Municipal Police and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Traffic Units with a view to improve the flow of traffic and make it easy for citizens to carryout their business as it has been noticed that there was an increase in wilful disregard of traffic by-laws by some people which is contributing to traffic jams and congestion.
The Minister said the units will carryout joint operations and impound vehicles which are not road worth or are involved in serious violation of traffic rules, revealing that impound yards are being established for this purpose.
Government set up an Adhoc inter-Ministerial Committee on decongestion and proper street lighting for Harare Metropolitan Province chaired by Local Government and Public works Minister July Moyo to improve the quality of life for residents by bringing order and sanity where it is not obtaining.
