PH Pleasure Park: Fun Seekers Want Pedestrian Bridge

Fun seekers and residents have called on the government and managers of the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park to construct a pedestrian bridge across Aba/Expressway into the facility.
The call is coming five years after the park was unveiled by the Rivers State Government.
The Tide Metro investigation reveals that many fun seekers and users of the park are exposed to danger as they cross the busy expressway from the other side of the road to the park.
Many parents and guardians who bring their children to the facility, mostly those without cars are at the mercy of fast moving vehicles, while taking their children across the road into the park.
A young mother of four, Patricia Umukwe told The Tide Metro that she brings her children at least every month end to have fun and relax in the park.
Umukwe however said she finds it very unsafe to take her four kids across the road from the side of the road, where the State ICT Centre and RSIEC office are located to the side where the park is located.
“Sometimes, I have to wait for five minutes to ensure it is safe for them to cross,” She said, while explaining her fears of upcoming traffic, what makes it more fearful is that it is an expressway and there are no zebra crossing or pedestrian bridge.”
A hawker that sells nose mask at the entrance of the park, Phillip Amadi told The Tide Metro that sometimes it is difficult to cross the expressway, especially on Sundays.
“Government needs to construct a foot bridge,” Amadi said, “So far I have not witnessed any accident since I started selling here, but for the sake of the children, there is need for a bridge.”
Francis Mark observed that a foot bridge is not only for children, “it should be for both adults and children”.
Mark, who was in the park with his girlfriend said there is need for three footbridges, “all the bending corners should have one” he said. The corners he suggested include the one intersecting G U Ake Road and another one from the corner of Bori Camp Army Barracks, with one crossing between the road directly opposite the park.
The young fun seeker also recommended construction of speed breakers across the precincts of the park, including stationing traffic wardens to help control traffic in order to help those who want to use the facility.
In addition to that, he suggested the presence of armed security men” I m not saying that there has been any criminal incident here, but just to prevent any from happening,” Mark added.
Another visitor to the park, Saviour Timothy observed that crossing Aba/ Expressway into the park is risky, “it takes time to cross the road even as an adult.”
Timothy urged the manager of the facility, Julius Berger to construct a pedestrian bridge for fun seekers to avert road accident.
A staff of the facility who gave his name as Elendu Ebere told The Tide Metro that, “Julius Berger does not have the power to build a pedestrian bridge. It is in the hands of the state government “.
He further explained that though Julius Berger had that in mind, it is only the state government that can approve such project,” besides, this is a federal road, and so before such project, there has to be an agreement between the state and federal governments.
From investigations, not fewer than 2,000 persons visit the park during weekends and this might increase overtime during special holidays.
Today, the park is acclaimed to be one of the best in the country, since it was conceived and built by the Nyesom Wike administration in 2017 to boost tourism and entertainment in the state.
The park boasts of having modern recreational facilities for both children and adults, including a cinema, game halls, and restaurant.

By: Kevin Nengia