By Nelson Manneh
Omar Ceesay, President of the Gambia Transport Union, has called on the Gambia Government to establish car parks in every region across the country.
Ceesay said there is only one major car park in the Gambia, which is the one in Brikama. He said the car park in Farafenni is small and cannot accommodate the vehicles in that region.
“It’s a concern for all of us and it should be a concern to all Gambians because there is no garage within Kanifing Municipality or even a well-organized car park there,” he said.
Ceesay said commercial vehicles that ply from one region to another, should have car parks which should be situated outside residential areas.
“In 2020 we had a nationwide consultation tour and we recommended some areas to the government that could be used as car parks and it is the responsibility of government to implement our recommendations,” he said.
Mr. Ceesay said all the traffic difficulties people are facing is because of the lack of garages. He said drivers used these opportunities to exploit innocent people in the country.
“Nowadays when you want to travel from Westfield to Tabakoto, you pay more than three fares. This is because there are no specific garages. If there were enough garages, the main road will be free and vehicles would move freely without any obstruction,” he said.
Ceesay said it is the responsibility of the ministry of works and the ministry of lands to provide garages. He said if the government established garages, they will serve as sources of income to others, as it will provide job opportunities for the people who will be working there.
“We have identified areas that could be used as garages in all the regions and what we want is for the government to implement our recommendations and establish garages in each region,” he said.
He said in Kerewan Area Council, they have provided them with a land space measuring 200 by 200 which will be used as a garage. He said currently, they are working with partners to develop it.
“It is true that some of our roads are small especially within the urban settlements but the main cause of traffic jam is because vehicles are packed on all sides of the highway and this is because drivers have no other space to pack their vehicles,” he noted.
