A decongestion of pavements has started in the Greater Banjul Area without much public notice being issued to enable the media to explain what is going on. Sometime ago, the NEA also had the assistance of the police to clamp down on the use of nylon bags.
If actions are to earn public appreciation and cooperation, they must be undertaken in a planned manner with the full understanding and cooperation of the people. Roads and sidewalks are meant to facilitate the free movements of people on the roads and pedestrians on the sidewalks. This, however, is possible if urban settlements are well planned.
In order to start somewhere, it is necessary for the road authority, physical planning, city councils, municipalities and the security forces to work together in a planned way to properly organize settlements.
City councils, municipalities and area councils should provide facilities where vendors could sell their goods, car parks for taxis and kiosks in strategic areas for vendors who will not disturb the traffic or pedestrians. They could ensure the proper organisation of communities and maintain organised settlements with the support of the road authority, physical planning, the councils and the security forces.
It is time that the authorities save the electorate from suffering. They deserve proper places to board and alight from transport, walk without impediments and move with transport without obstruction. If elected authorities cannot work together to provide such simple facilities, then they are not going to be considered to be true to their mandate. We therefore hope that all the authorities will come together.
