Enforcing Law On Rivers Commercial Vehicles

Recently, the Rivers State House of Assembly yet again demonstrated its commitment to sanity on the roads and zero-tolerance for unwholesome practices in the transportation sector by demanding the enforcement of compliance with the blue and white colours approved for all commercial vehicles in the state.
The State Assembly passed the resolution to effect commercial vehicle numbering and colour following the motion raised by Hon. Prince Mgbor of Khana Constituency II. The House Committee was immediately directed to liaise with the supervising Ministry of Transport to work on implementation modalities and report back to the House.
The Rivers State Road Traffic Law provides for the production of a unique code for all commercial vehicles, which must be embossed on the vehicles. Second schedule of the Law prescribes N10, 000 as penalty for not painting the approved colour . This accommodates owners of vehicles who want to run for commercial purposes, but do not want to paint their vehicles in the commercial colours.
While The Tide agrees no less on the urgent need for enforcement of the Rivers State Road Traffic Law, we urge that such move should no longer provide opportunity for commercial vehicle operators to defy the law; rather modalities of government should typify its opposition to non-adherence to the distinctive identity endorsed for commercial vehicles operating in the state.
We are saddened to observe that many of the drivers doing business in the State, who have remained headstrong do so to circumvent charges and levies legally imposed on commercial vehicles, thus, shortchanging the authorities. Unfortunately, these are the set of drivers who dread approved motor parks and resort to picking passengers along the road.
What is even more appalling is the increasing rate at which the situation has reportedly been exploited by criminals who specialise in picking passengers from the roadsides only to drive them to their slaughter slabs. A testimony to this is the many tales of woes by passengers, including how they had been dispossessed of their monies and personal items, especially by the notorious bandits, commonly known with the name, ‘one chance’.
Interestingly, experts have equally noted that criminals would hardly operate with a vehicle bearing such distinct colours, including those who may be parading as drivers but specialise in robbing passengers at gun-point. Given these problems occasioned by the absence of a separate identity for commercial vehicles, we join the Rivers State House of Assembly to advocate the enforcement of the State Road Traffic Law.
It has also been observed that many of the drivers reluctant to bear the approved colours are those using the vehicles for both commercial and private purposes and as such, feel it will mean banishing them to the commercial vehicles category. So, the inordinate desire for a hiding place, akin to wanting to have the best of two worlds fuels this recalcitrant attitude in some cases.
The question, therefore, is whether the drivers who are yet to key into this initiative, have ever stopped to think of the benefits of this conventional practice, among which is the elimination of reckless use of all manner of vehicles for commercial purposes.
We note that complying with such prohibition would certainly entail collaboration with stakeholders such as the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria,RETEAN, to take steps to consciously sensitise their members.
The enforcement exercise also requires the co-operation of members of the public, especially passengers, who must patronise only vehicles bearing the blue and white colours. Private car owners must also desist from using their vehicles for commercial purposes, all in the interest of achieving sanity and orderliness in the transportation sector in the state.
Therefore, while we appeal to transport operators not to wait until force is applied before they assist in this collective efforts to reduce the challenges and frustration which road users in Rivers State are currently experiencing, we urge the Assembly to make good its resolution, this time, by enforcing this law and other similar laws aimed at sanitising the transport system in the state.
This is just one case out of what has become a daily occurrence on most roads in Port Harcourt and its environs. Besides the problems of unpainted and not properly numbered commercial vehicles, trucks block the roads and obstruct traffic flow; these are also major causes of accidents that sometimes record high rates of fatality. Also, to say that the road worthiness of most of such trucks is questionable is to make mild of a serious situation.
The city of Port Harcourt is suffocating due to its chaotic transport system. No other time is more appropriate to enforce relevant laws that could restore sanity, than now that the cities are enjoying relative peace and attracting a renewed influx of visitors who in no small measure boost economic activities in the state.