Malawi govt to impose curfew on night buses, trucks – Minister Mhango
Government has said it will impose a curfew on all buses and trucks travelling at night, saying all passenger and goods vehicles should stop when time strikes 10pm.
Minister of Transport and Public Works Jappie Mhango said this in parliament on Tuesday when he answered a question from Kasungu south east MP Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda on government stance on the striking minibus drivers and conductors.
Mhango said the government will not relent an inch on its quest to improve safety of people on the roads of Malawi following the rise carnage.
“We will not allow standing passengers in minibuses or buses and we will continue to enforce the tough penalties for all traffic offences,” said Mhango.
Mzimba Solola MP Jacob Hara proposed that the issue be referred to the Transport Committee of Parliament so that further recommendations are made on the improvement of safety on the roads.
However, second deputy speaker Esther Mcheka Chilenje said the issue could not be referred to the committee because it came in the House under Standing Order 40. Kasungu north east Wakuda Kamanga said the issue was complex but needed a quick and robust response from the government.
He said the laws should be tightened not to allow people import minibuses which are 10 years old and above, saying the dilapidated vehicles are a source of the rising accidents among other factors.
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I concur with Entente Cardiale it’s not aboutility a car being 10 years old. The new cars are getting involved in carnages big timeneyo. Do whatever it takes to save lives. There is no decision that will ever please all the people.
I don’t agree to the idea of refraining the bus operators from moving at night.
People are doing businesses nowadays. People are always moving.
Stopping people to move at certain period of the day is tantamount to stopping our country’s progress businesswise.
What we need to do now is that the law enforcers should build up their act.
Let them improve their patrols during day and night along our roads. Not stopping the ceonomy.
If we stop people movement, then we are entertaining antiprogress.
While new cars are better but they do not ensure safety in their own. Let us refrain from thinking that older cars are much more prone to accidents than new ones. Road accidents are caused due to a number of factors and vehicle age must be ruled out of this. WHY ruling out vehicle AGE? Vehicle Road Worthiness is what is the issue here! You can have a car of 2016 which has worn out tyres and can this be safer than an old ford (body by mandala) well serviced with very good tires (new), sober and refreshed driver? We need to address motor vehicle regulation and licensing which is about certification of road worthiness of the vehicles and the sound mind of the man behind the wheel. We can not completely halt traveling at night? If this will become an issue assuming the curfew is made to stop the movements at 6PM then it means in the Comprehensive Automobile Testing (Vehicle Examination) head lamps should be removed because they are meant to be used at night that is why they are examined. Let us not commit suicide as a way of trying to find a permanent solution to an institutional problem which can be rectified. We need actions to do with vehicles that breakdown in the middle of the road, how long should they be allowed to organize towing so that they are removed timely from the road. in some sections of the road we need to cautiously also establish minimum speed limits (lower side speed limits), on the other hand, you dont start to talk about Road Safety before having the Roads (let us maintain the roads because this becomes the primary thing in dealing with road safety). We have humps almost on every bridge but it seems we treat this as normal that in Malawi when a vehicle is crossing a bridge is has to bump on some unlevelled stuff where the road meets the bridge structure. Above these other things, we have made very rough and huge rumble stripes which are not ideal for small vehicles suspension and in trying to avert them drivers move with supersonic speeds in order not to feel them much yet they were/are put to alert drivers to be conscious/alert about a bend or steep descent ahead, what happens mapeto ake ndi ngozi. We have seen M1 in some other places graduating into a single lane (there are no signs indicating this narrow state of the road), Let us fix other things about the roads and vehicles.
It is a good move to have no standing passengers in local buses but this has to start with Road Traffic and Safety Services because this is where vehicle capacity issues for our roads are set. Because if I change my bus today to indicate the load/weight capacity information removing something (some information) then I need to change also at RTSS (at the place where the capacity was set), sandimanga kuti am altering vehicle information? Altering vehicle specifications is a crime.
Let us create a balance in dealing with this problem.
Let me thank DPP admin that they trying there best to defame themselves and give something that opposition can talk about.we all know that this party is poor in decision making thank you
Opanga lamuloli chonsecho Ali ndi magalimoto…. Sayenda using public transport anyway tizakumana
A BOMA MUYENERA KUSAMARA PAMENEPO OTSUTSA BOMA ALI NDI KAMPENI KUMPHASA,AKULIMBIKIYSA ZIMENEZO AKUDZIWA KUTI ANTHU AKWIYA AYAMBA KUDANA NALO BOMA MUYENERA KUSAMARA ZEDI,ALETSE NIGHT COMPOST,ANTHU ATATU PAMPANDO,MA MINIBUS AKALE AYI MUGWETSA BOMA AJAPPE MHANGO CHONDE GANIZANI BWINO…. AWA NDIKATRICKS A OPPOSTION JAPPE SAMALA
That’s Malawian poor decision making as always. During the past two months, so many accidents have happened. How many of them took place at night? All bus accidents that have taken place were in the afternoon bar one. No truck accidents happened during the night, none, minibus accidents none. So why this jappiesh decision to curtail night driving?
This is a retrogressive, knee jerk reaction. Let the solutions be driven by a rigorous analysis of the relevant data to establish causes.
Owen Khamula, do not try to be knowledgeable by using English words which you do not understand. The word ‘curfew’ is used to refer to the restriction imposed on people from moving at particular times at night, and not buses as you put it. Use simple English. Your title could have been ‘Government to ban movement of buses at night’!
WRONG! That’s one of the definitions. Owen is not necessarily grammatically wrong to use this term in this context. Curfew means “an order establishing a specific time in the evening after which certain regulations apply” (ENGLISH DICTIONARY ONLINE). In this case, regulations applied to the movement of buses etc.
You pple have you done any road traffic accident data analysis before recommending these punitive measures.
Road traffic accident data analysis is the only important tool for determining the
main safety problems towards which measures should be directed.
The only problem is that our traffic officers don’t have the capacity to investigate the root cause of the accidents.
Otherwise, govt will loose big and traffic officers will win big.
Why should the government waste money to do research when the problem is crystal clear? Everybody knows that there’s a lot of insanity on the roads of Malawi. The government needs a tough stance like this one. Those of you have traveled to developed countries would know that road traffic regulations are quite strict. We need such mentality to sanitize Malawi roads.
We have been traveling safely with night buses all along. Traveling during the night is the safest .. no Mbuzi, agalu, ng’ome etc mu mseu. The thing is engage experts to establish the root cause of increased rate of fatal accidents all over sadden.
Otherwise some of these rushed decisions will badly affect economy of many poor people. Imagine women who are supplying vegetables to our homes…. how will they manage their families if you implement these punitive measures.
Vuto ndiloti anthu omwe mukupanga malamulo, masamba tomato mumagula ku shoprite.
Apa mwayamba kusinjilirano. Mukayamba zimenezo ndiye muyamba kusokoneza ma programme a anthu. Anthu amayenda usiku pa zolinga. Ena ndi a business komanso ena amayendera ma emergency. Kuyenda usiku kumathandiza kuchepetsa ulendo wautali. Muziganiza kawiri katatu musanapange chiganizo. Mkutheka mwina mulibe nzerunso.
izi ndiye zomama. accidents happen any time of the day. in fact there are more accidents during the day than at night. can you please find the root cause of these problems.
I wished laws must include passengers,like in SA if police impound overage they step out the passenger
so it should be here,this will enlight and give passengers powers to say no in fear to be droped out on the way’,but
empowering only the police or giving punishment to drivers will not work because;police are poor they go to work footing and empty stomach They are the same drivers to take home to give them fanta so how do expect to combut this?
The minister must be aware that polic in malawi have the capacity but they cant because of the underlying problems,there is what i sugest that passengers must be included on top of rectifying police problems.
zanyuwani kudula MRA kudula nde titani?