High price to pay for damaged road signs

Dar es Salaam. Motorists, particularly bus and truck drivers, plying between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma regions, cover a distance of 450 kilometres on a road that has few or no road traffic signs and markings at all.

The signs are crucial as they alert drivers of speed limits and hazards ahead and so are applied to reduce possible road crashes and provide smooth and continuous traffic flow.

Road safety experts say that improper and poor conditions of road signs and markings contribute significantly to traffic accidents to the extent of rivalling other causes of deaths like Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases, including HIV/Aids, cancer and Malaria.

According to The Citizen observation, at Mkambalani Village, Kisaki District in Morogoro Region, the road section consists of worn-out line markings if not completely erased, leaving drivers clueless when trying to read the road markings, especially at night.

Again, at some sections of the Morogoro Road, markings are characterised by poor reflections due to being worn out by vehicle tires and ageing. It was noted further that maintenance of road defects and overlays contribute to missing road markings and lines.

Furthermore, at some places along the road, The Citizen also observed the presence of damaged signs and obstructed road signs at Maseyu Village due to tree branches hence decreasing their visibility.

However, The Citizen understands that with every newly built and rehabilitated road in Tanzania, road signs and markings are provided. But with time these are vandalised, damaged by vehicles or simply get worn out due to the pressure of natural forces such as wind and rain. This forces road users to use their own judgement by creating their own invisible lanes, for instance, at times, leading to road crashes.

“It is true, the signs and markings are important to guide us, drivers, safely on the roads. We lose family members and friends because of the anomaly,” admits Mr Hussein Abdallah, a bus driver plying between Dar es Salaam and Shinyanga via Dodoma.

Mr Abdallah further appeals to Tanzania Roads Agency (Tanroads) and Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) and local authorities to make sure hired contractors use quality and durable materials for road markings.

On the matter of quality, Tanroads Road Safety senior engineer George Daffa said some hired contractors fail to meet the set standards. “During inspections, when we note that a particular hired contractor hadn’t used standard materials in a particular project, the law is clear, we revoke payment and the contractor is required to repeat the work,” says Mr Daffa.

He says in order to address the challenges associated with the maintenance of roads across the country, Tanroads has embarked on a comprehensive maintenance strategy, which will help address the concerns.

According to the Tanroads officer, under the strategy, the agency was dedicated to allocating sufficient funds annually to facilitate maintenance and rehabilitation of damaged signs and markings on road networks across the country.

The formulation of the strategy is thus meant to create a clear guide for the provision of road maintenance activities on the core road network, reaffirms the Tanroads senior engineer boss. “The strategy is aimed at ensuring that there is timely implementation and improved quality of maintenance of the core road network,” he says.

“The lifetime of the markings is six months to one year, depending on the thickness of the line and place of application. But in rural areas, the markings last for up to three years,” says Mr Daffa.

However, data from Police Traffic Unit in Dar es Salaam show the number of deaths caused by crashes has decreased from 2,581 in 2017 to 1, 788 last year. Besides, the number of injuries also dropped from 5,489 to 3,746 over the period.

During an exclusive interview with The Citizen on the way to Bariadi from Dar es Salaam, Mr James Masoda, 57, a public servant, acknowledges endless efforts are being made to reduce road crashes in the country. “I would like to encourage the road agency and authorities to immediately take deliberate actions to replace the vandalised road signs, especially in notorious areas for crashes,” says Mr Masoda.

The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018, launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December 2018, highlights that the number of annual road traffic deaths reached 1.35 million.

“Traffic police on highways enforce speed limits especially at villages where the speed limit is 50km/hr and they catch many offenders. However, the signs normally disappear due to thefts,” says Traffic Police Principal Legal Officer Deus Sokoni.

A study entitled: “Performance of Road Signs and Markings along Tanzam Highway in Mbeya Region, Tanzania” was conducted from Uyole to Iyunga along Tanzam highway to assess the signs and marking conditions by author Duwa Chengula from Mbeya University of Science and Technology.

The study shows that the conditions of road markings along the road were characterised by poor reflectivity, missing road markings and faint edge and centre pavement lines. Tanroads’ Dar es Salaam Regional manager Ngusa Julius admits that the agency is aware of the absence of road signs and markings at some sections of road networks in the country, noting that the rehabilitation and maintenance of the damaged road signs and markings are stalled due to a shortage of funds.

“The road signs and markings deteriorate with age and some are damaged either deliberately or accidentally. A shortage of funds is a problem and even when it is available repair of the road signs and markings is done only in road sections that are notorious for crashes,” said Mr Julius.

He added: “Every road user has the obligation of safeguarding road signs and markings. Security and road agencies alone cannot prevent ongoing road signs theft.”

Developed countries provide road users with information directing the flow of traffic and enhancing the interaction of various users in the driving environment.

“The road signs and markings enable users to understand what to do and what not to, when and where to go,” says Henry Bantu, an active member of Tanzania’s National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in an exclusive interview with The Citizen.

Mr Bantu further encourages road agencies to install the missing signs, knocked down signs and worn out markings and improve night time retro-reflectivity of signs and markings on the road under review.

Health Economist at WHO Maximillian Mapunda says it is important to conduct an analysis to regularly determine performances of road signs and markings .

“Investigations into road signs and markings performances provide understanding and awareness to road agencies and authorities on conditions of road signs and markings for improvements,” says Mr Mapunda.