Authorities to put weight restriction signs, speed humps on Mandara roads

Suburban Reporter

MANDARA residents have done all the processes to have weight restriction signs installed and speed humps constructed on some of the suburb’s roads to prevent haulage trucks from using roads in the neighbourhood and deter speeding drivers.

Residents were this week informed that the relevant authorities were planning to conduct a site visit to mark the positioning of the weight restriction signs and speed humps.

The notice to residents sent out on Wednesday this week said the brick-making factory in the Chikurubi area had been informed about the weight limit restrictions but the transporters who ferry bricks from the company to customers were independent from the brick maker and do as they please and the police could only help with enforcement once the signs have been put up.

Reacting to the notice, residents said they were worried about bureaucratic delays to the processes because the roads continue to get damaged each passing day.

At the weekend, residents had noted that despite the Suburban publishing a story, about the prohibition of transporters using heavy vehicles from using Mandara roads, it seemed the owners and drivers of the haulage trucks were ignoring the ban and the traffic of heavy trucks was increasing.

Residents living along Mondynes Road said they spotted the big trucks driving up and down the road on Saturday with some feeling their efforts to tackle the matter were coming to naught.

But others said hope was not lost as the process was work in progress and the more noise they made about the issue, the better.

The residents said if normal channels fail, they might have to apply community initiatives that will require support from all the residents while more residents expressed hope that they will overcome the problem because the law was on their side.

But another group of residents believed it was their fault that they had allowed the truckers to use the suburb’s roads and even let the establishment of a trucking yard and workshop within their neighhourhood.

This had resulted in 30-tonne trucks using roads designed for a weight of up to 3 tonnes with some residents not even finding anything wrong with the anomaly by repeating the explanations of the drivers of the trucks that they pay vehicle licenses and so were entitled to drive on any roads in Harare.

The discussion heard that sometimes it was ideal to just stand up and be counted to send a message of encouragement to those doing the running around on behalf of the community to tackle the problem.

Inquiries were made as to what became of the explanation they were given the last time that the City of Harare had resolved the matter by ordering the drivers of the trucks to use an alternative route.

Participants also suggested follow-ups with the Zimbabwe Republic Police traffic section and the municipal police to enforce the prohibition because the truck drivers were unlikely to change routes without facing any consequences for breaching the city’s by-laws.