The Road Safety Alert Foundation (ROSAF) has urged the Malawi Government to adopt the 30KM/H speed limit in all places where people and traffic mix to curb road accidents, which continue to claim lives in Malawi.
Currently, the recommended speed limit at places where people and traffic mix is 50km/hour. But ROSAF and Street For Life campaign, which is advocating for the adoption of the 30KM/H speed limit, this is not recommendable in fighting road accidents.
ROSAF has since called upon the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure, the Department of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) as well as all relevant authorities to make immediate necessary actions for Malawi to adopt and start implementing the 30 KM/H speed limit in all places within the vicinity of schools, cities, markets and all busy places that attract high numbers of people.
"ROSAF is also advocating for inclusive climate resilient road transport by calling upon the government of Malawi to actualize the mandatory road construction policy of making all roads safer for all road users by, among other interventions, proving for other amenities for other road users like separate walkways and cycleways instead of the current elitist approach to road construction where only vehicle users are prioritized," says the organization in a statement in a public statement issued as part of the activities to commemorate 2022 Global Road Safety Week,
ROSAF joined the rest of the world in commemorating the 2022 Road Safety Week(UNGRSW) which falls between 1 6th and 22nd May 2022. The global road safety week is observed to raise awareness about road safety and highlights the changes required to reduce the number of road accidents and deaths.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The UNGRSW is hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to highlight the benefits of low-speed limits on urban streets. It is a biennial global campaign that brings together various groups, NGOs, governments, corporations, and other organisations from all over the world.
The UN General Assembly directed WHO and the UN regional commissions to conduct periodic UN Global Road Safety Weeks. These events focus on the links between 30 km/h speed limits and accomplishment of a number of Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to health education, climate action, infrastructure and sustainable cities.
On Monday, ROSAF conducted a march in Mwanza to raise awareness on the need to observe speed limits to prevent road accidents thereby preventing unnecessary deaths.
ROSAF Executive Director Joel Jere said his organization is also advocating for inclusive climate resilient road transport by calling upon the government of Malawi to actualize the mandatory road construction policy of making all roads safer for all road users by, among other interventions, proving for other amenities for other road users like separate walkways and cycleways instead of the current elitist approach to road construction where only vehicle users are prioritized.
