Minister slams roads excluding vulnerable users

Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has criticised the way urban roads are designed in Namibia, saying they cater almost entirely to motorists while ignoring pedestrians, cyclists and people with physical disabilities.

Sankwasa made these remarks at yesterday’s press conference hosted by the Road Fund Administration (RFA) at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) in Windhoek.

The event focused on urban road management and was attended by policymakers, local authorities and other stakeholders, who discussed current and future funding for urban road management and maintenance.

While the minister welcomed efforts to identify gaps in road funding, he questioned those responsible for designing local roads, saying they failed to consider people with physical disabilities.

He said he is yet to see a road designed to serve them, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.

“We have more people than motorists in Namibia, but when they design our roads, they only look out for those with cars, excluding pedestrians and others, which is wrong, I think, because we spend millions to cater for a few motorists while leaving everyone out,” he said.

Sankwasa said designs that leave people with physical disabilities, cyclists and other road users without considering have also contributed to the number of accidents on the country’s roads.

He called on local authorities to approve road designs only when they make provision for pedestrians as well.

“Roads should be worth what the government is paying for; you should have quality roads. I think local authorities now only question those designs and approve a design that caters for everyone,” he said. The minister also urged stakeholders to re-examine the pricing of roads, saying they are overpriced.

He said Namibia is failing to control costs as a nation, comparing the price of building a road here with that in Turkey.

According to Sankwasa, a one-kilometre road costs about N$9 million in Turkey, while a similar stretch in Namibia costs N$50 million, which he described as “absurd”.

He said authorities should be able to question everything, from the source of materials to other crucial details, because the roads are not worth what is being paid for.

“We are now building roads that only last 20 years, while those who built roads before independence built roads that could last 50 years,” he said. “We have to revisit and look at how we do things,” he said.

Meanwhile, RFA’s Principal Officer for Legal Governance, Anna Matebele, responded to the minister’s plea that the company would look into those pointers thoroughly heading forward.

“We shall look into those pointers made by the minister and ensure we improve our work heading forward. We have to learn to work with the little we have,” she added.

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