Nyabugogo, Remera traffic lights to be Upgraded
The authorities of Kigali City have announced to upgrade traffic lights of Nyabugogo and Remera with new digitized ones as one way to improve transport systems in Kigali. According to Fidele Ndayisaba, the Mayor of Kigali City, the new digitized traffic lights will replace the old ones that were regarded to be outdated and not fit to meet the increasing demands and standards of the city considering traffic lights and population.
The Mayor added that they are planning within 7 days time to have digitalised these traffic lights and this will assist in easing transport in the city.
The authorities of Kigali city have been up grading traffic lights with “hi-Tech” ones that will enable road users in Kigali to count seconds on each interval given to them. In other words, the new digital traffic lights have readable numbers, count down the seconds left to change from Green to Red light, or from Red to Green light.
Through the Mayor, Kigali city Authorities are implementing new transport system in Public transport that aim at changing Kigali city into a modern and more organized city like those of developed countries. Further more, this new system in Kigali public transport shall increase the reliability and efficiency in Kigali with more established routes and pedestrian user friendly. It will also assist in use of modern bigger buses recommended for public transport along congested trunk roads in the City.
The Mayor cautioned road users in Kigali city to respect bus stops and traffic lights which allow people to cross the roads in order to reduce road accidents and loss of life. He further advised Pedestrians to also respect traffic rules. He observed that most pedestrians in Kigali some times don’t respect Zebra crossing and sometimes cross the road before the traffic lights indicate green.
The main causes of road accidents in Kigali include over speeding, driving while drunk, use of phone while driving, reckless driving, fatigue and many others. This is according to Juvenal Mariza, the Deputy Inspector general of police in Kigali. Police statistics show that during the first half of this year (January to June 2014), road accident deaths fell to 97 up from 141 with around 1324 road accidents reported down from 2356 cases reported in the same period last year 2013.
