By Sailu Bah
It is exactly one month six days since the attack on the Presidency on 3oth December but there are still delays on the highway to Banjul due to the military
checkpoints mounted along the highway.
There are 4 major military check points mounted on the highway starting from Kamalo-Cape Point Junction, Denton Bridge, Bond Road and Gambia High. The two
check points at Box bar and Marina Parade in the entrance of Banjul
around the Arch have been removed.
Commercial vehicles are stopped and searched. Vehicles are seen in a long queue every morning when going to Banjul Sometimes vehicles have to spend about one hour on the Banjul-Serrekunda highway just to go in or out of Banjul.
Musa Nyang was one of the commuters who expressed his discomfort. He
said the time wasted along the highway discourages workers who should
get to work on time as well as drivers who earn less for going to
Banjul. He appealed to the authorities to ease or reduce the military
check points in order to make it easier to travel in and out of the
city.
A commercial driver that prefers anonymity said the time wasted on this route compels a lot of drivers to divert to other routes which causes scarcity of vehicle in the
city. He said commercial drivers spend a lot on fuel when waiting in queues at
the military check points. He also pleaded for the restoration of normalcy
at the check points as well.
A regular traveller from the North Bank Region who often comes to the Kombos
explained that he nearly missed the last ferry from Banjul in one of his visits due to the delay he encountered when he was
returning home.]]>
