By Muhammed Sailu Bah
Commercial drivers of passenger vans are appealing again to the authorities to help during the rainy season to rehabilitate Primet Street, their main access route to the capital city, in order to prolong the lifespan of their vehicles
.
This appeal was made in an interview with some drivers after the heavy downpour during the weekend.
A van driver complains that it is always very difficult for him to enter Banjul when it rains as the roads, especially Primet Street, submerge in water and thus making it dangerous to navigate one’s way. “It is un-motorable when it rains,” he said.
Mbye, a commercial van driver, who plies the Banjul-Serekunda route, said Primet Street is the only straight route in the capital which they are allowed to take to reach the car park in the city centre. He said given the present poor state of the street which is exacerbated by the stagnant rain water filling up its potholes, the lifespan of their vehicle would be shortened as they always experience breakdowns.
He said the Banjul garage committee has been coming up with temporal measures such as filling the large craters and potholes in the street with stones and broken cement block pieces.
“We are appealing to the City Council to help in leveling Primet Street and some areas at the car park in order to eliminate the potholes and stagnant water and save our vehicles,” he said.
Omar Ceesay, the president of the car park committee, reiterated similar concerns and also called on the municipal authority to help them address these challenges.
He said their main worry is during rainy season when some parts of the car park are virtually inaccessible because of the stagnant water.
“I want to thank the people who work in the car park for their participation in the ‘set settal’ cleansing exercise,” he added.
When the concerns of the drivers were raised with Mr. Abdoulie Bah, the Mayor of Banjul, he said he understands the difficulties they face but added that they have plans to address it. He said the president has approved 60 trips of gravel for them to use in leveling Primet Street and some streets in Tobacco Road.
Mayor Bah added the Council is also working hand in hand with the works ministry to ensure that there is lasting solution for Primet Street.]]>
