Date Published: 01/04/10

New Year Shocker: Traffic Agency declares war on bullion vans, street traders

FOR bullion van drivers and street traders in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital,it will no longer be business as usual for them this 2010. They will either have to obey the state's traffic regulations or brace to face the consequences of being disobedience.

In a seeming desperate move to tackle the traffic problems in the capital city, the state Road Traffic Management Agency has banned wreckless driving by bullion van drivers and trading on major streets and roads in the city.

The areas declared as no trading areas are: Artillery, Flyover, Eleme, Garrison, Rumuola, Rumuokota, Rumukwurusi and Rumuokoro junctions. All the street traders in these places have been asked to vacate their trading posts on or before January 8, 2010 or face the wrath of the road traffic management agency.

Controller-General of the agency, Mr. Nelson Jaja handed down this warning in Port Harcourt, on Monday.

He said the order became necessary considering the obstruction such trading cause to traffic on these junctions.

He said a situation where motorists and commuters stay for hours on roads was disheartening adding that the agency would not fold their hands and watch these traders affect traffic flow in the city with its attendant consequences to the economy of the city and state.

“People who are used to trading at Artillery, flyover, Eleme, Garrison, Rumuola, Rumukwurusi, Rumuokoro junctions should stop”, he said.

Continuing, he added, ''if they want to trade in non designated market areas, they have to do so within the confine of private property. There will be no commercial activities allowed along the roads and major junctions”.

The controller-general also frowned at the breach of traffic regulations by bullion vans and escorts of expatriates.

He said henceforth any such breach will attract the arrest of the bank managers and top officials of the companies involved.

According to him, ''the law forbids bullion vans from driving against traffic. Any one we catch, we will impound it and prosecute the manager of the branch of the bank because we will hold him responsible for the actions of his staff”.

“Traffic offenders will be referred to psychiatric hospital and if the doctors say that that person is not of sound mind, we will impound his driving license”

Furthermore, he said security escort is not a privilege for them to be reckless and flaunt traffic regulations.

Jaja said with the establishment of the agency and the powers granted to it by the law that Port Harcourt residents will witness decency on the road adding that his officials would know no sacred cows and advised prominent citizens to respect themselves and abide by traffic rules as done in advanced societies.