THE Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport has said it will enforce speed limits on road traffic as allowed by law from next Monday to prevent accidents.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, Dr Khalid Salum Mohamed said in a press conference on Monday that there was an increase in road accidents due to violation of traffic and road safety regulations by motorists.

Speeding is a major factor in traffic deaths and injuries. Therefore in order to save lives, we must enforce speed limits as provided by the law," he said.

He said the Road Traffic Decree chapter 135, which was being used since colonial days has been improved time to time based on increasing road networks in the country.

The law was repealed to give birth to Zanzibar Road transport Act No. 7 of 2003 of which section 144 (1) the Government sets speed limits.

He said in all areas including pedestrian crossings, market areas, social services areas (schools, hospitals) and in Stone Town, the maximum speed in those areas is 30 kilometre per hour.

"Speed limit in the urban areas, the whole area of the Urban-West Region in Unguja and the urban areas in Wete, Chakechake, and Mkoani in the Pemba Region is 50 kilometres per hour (kph)," he said.

The Minister explained further that speed limit for the rural areas of Unguja and Pemba is 80 kilometres per hour.

He asked road users particularly motorbike transporters (bodaboda), cyclists, and pedestrians to take precautions to reduce accidents.

Dr Mohamed explained without giving road accidents statistics, that the government has been taking various efforts to control accidents, it includes strengthening laws and regulation, and improve road network in both rural and urban areas in Unguja and Pemba.