HARARE There is a need to rehabilitate public transport infrastructure such as roads, railway lines and airports to expedite the recovery of the country's economy, a senior Government official has said.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development, Patson Mbiriri announced that roads in the country had outlived themselves.
“Zimbabwean roads are over 40 years of age and have outlived their usefulness. We have been patching them up. Our railway lines are even older than roads. We have a lot of cautions on our railways where the train has to travel at 10 kilometres or even 5 kilometres an hour,” he said.
Mbiriri said at the moment the ministry was using funds raised from the fuel levy and the tollgates to patch up the roads.
He said the department raised US$1,3 million per month from tolling, which it used on the roads through the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority (ZINARA).
“The money is not enough. We need more, especially if we are going to dualise,” he said.
The permanent secretary said the country’s roads were pounded by heavy traffic and his ministry was working on installing a number of weight bridges.
“We need to install 22 weight bridges across the country. 13 have already been renovated. We need to limit the weight of the cars on our roads to avoid pounding,” he said.
He highlighted that there was also a need for public education to teach members of the public on the importance of handling public property well.
“There is a need for public education to limit some of the damage to the roads and other public infrastructure and enhance the public’s safety. Many of our drivers have no clue on the importance of being on their best behaviour when driving on public roads. They behave as if they are driving on private roads,” he said.
Post published in: Economy