By: Mohamed M. Sesay
The Speaker of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone Hon. Dr. Chernor Abass Bundu, has on the Thursday the 12th of January 2023 displayed outrage and vehemently condemned the prevailing reckless Commercial Bike Riding within the Freetown Central Business District.
The speaker called on the Sierra Leone Police to effect the law on Bike Riding across the circumference of the Central Business District.
Addressing Members of Parliament, Speaker Abass Bundu noted that Commercial Bike Riders are subject to traffic rules and that that they are obliged to respect traffic rules and regulations. He however added that the Commercial Bike Riders across Sierra Leone with specific focus to the Central Business District of Freetown have considered themselves to be above the law.
He said most if not all of those commercial bike riders get to an interception and instead of waiting and give way to traffic, they would rather maneuver around the traffic.
Speaker Bundu therefore considered such reckless behavior from Commercial Bikes Riders as a very dangerous move to other peaceful and civilized road users. He recalled that the Central Business District of Freetown has been exempted from commercial bike riding but unfortunately they are still gallivanting all over the Central Business District thereby, causing tremendous havoc to descent Road Users.
Speaker Bundu therefore, instructed the Chairman for the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and the Chairman for the Committee on Transport to expeditiously look into the matter for instantaneous redress. “I really want the two committees to take up this matter very seriously because the behavior of these commercial bike riders are not only dangerous to themselves, but to also the Pillion and other Road Users. I think the law should be enforced because nobody is above the law”, he demanded.
Speaker Bundu equally reminded the Sierra Leone Police to efficaciously enforce the law on commercial bike riding within the territorial enclave of Freetown Central Business District. He concluded by calling on all and sundry to be particularly concerned about the lives of citizens including themselves as Members of Parliament and Ministers of Government as Road Users. He decried the very fact that Sierra Leone cannot have one group of people obeying the law, whilst another fragmented group seeing themselves to be above the law.