Uganda National Roads Authority is planning to introduce new regulations for road users, in a bid to protect the roads and make them last longer. The new regulations state that errant users face fines, and imprisonment and overloading are listed as an offense. The new rules take effect on 1st January 2018.
The Uganda National Roads Authority UNRA new statutory instruments are geared towards protecting Uganda’s roads.
According to UNRA’s Executive Director Allen Kagina, the fees for temporary use of national roads and road reserves for billboards or laying of cables among others and the penalties will have to be paid on spot.
Also to be affected are drivers who overload their vehicles and whose vehicles' axle loads exceed the limits set out in the regulations.
Kagina says the purpose of the new legislation is to protect the roads whose lifespan is being shortened by bad usage.
Other punishable offenses include:
- Parking a car with a mechanical fault on the roadside for more than six hours
- Damaging streetlights
- Vehicles and motorcycles using walkways
- Building in road reserves
- Displaying dazzling or distracting light on the road Some road users agree with the regulations while others feel they need to be revised before they are put into action.
UNRA says it will carry out a sensitization campaign about the regulations to help citizens understand what to expect.