Road spots to note during Christmas travel

According to last year’s Police Accident Report, reported traffic accidents peaked in December to 1,636, followed by March with 1,636. JOHN MASABA maps out the main roads to highlight the spots you need to watch out for during your Christmas travel.

Christmas is festive time where many travel to their home villages. Unfortunately some don’t reach safely, while others don’t return.

Last December, fatal accidents rose to 283, the highest in the year, followed by September with 236. Serious accidents also peaked to 831, followed by March with 805. The Police, therefore, warns motorists to look out for spots on the road that usually claim lives of travellers.

With less than a week to Christmas, the Government has released detailed guidelines to help reduce accidents on major roads.

A document obtained from the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), an arm of the Ministry of Works and Transport, shows that there are more than 200 deadly accident-prone spots.

Last year, 2,937 people died in road accidents according to the annual Police crime and traffic report 2013. The Police say it was an increase by 7% from 2012.

NRSC Secretary Nathan Tumushabe said some of these crashes would have been avoided had drivers been aware of the spots. According to the Police, an accident black spot is a place where road traffic accidents have been concentrated over time.

Lugazi traffic boss, Andrew Okalabaya, says accidents may occur for a variety of reasons, such as a sharply sloping road or corner on a straight road.
 

Lugazi

Among some of the spots that NRSC says people should look out for include Kitega, 41km from Kampala on the Jinja highway for its slippery surface. Tumushabe advised motorists not to overtake at this section and to watch out for oncoming vehicles because of a sharp bend.

Other spots are at Lugazi, 42km from Kampala, because of the narrow bridge as you enter Lugazi town and the bend after Lugazi town where sugarcane tractors often join the road.

“Black spots start from Kawolo Hospital up to the washing bay at Bulyantete. Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) reinforced the area with road signs, but they are weak and have been vandalised,” the document said.

Mabira
 

The document also calls upon motorists to watch for sharp bends, narrow roads and many blind spots in Mabira forest (50km from Kampala).

UNRA says there have been more head-on collisions in this place than anywhere in country because of the narrow road and speeding. Tumushabe said most of the accidents result from blind spots created by numerous bends, trees and freewheeling heavy trucks.

“High accidents occur around the Police station in Mabira forest,” he said.

Other spots to watch out for include Kibati corner as you approach Namawojolo because there are no road signs and the road is narrow.

 Jinja-Iganga section
 

There are nine accident spots on Jinja-Iganga highway. These are the railway crossing (3km from Jinja town) because it is on a slope and vehicles have trouble braking, Bulanga for its steep sloping section with a bend in the valley and Walugogo on a steep slope with a narrow road.

NRSC recommends a speed of 30km/hour at Bulanga section. Kakira (10km from Jinja town) also has no road signs and has a T-junction.

Dangerously loaded sugarcane trucks are also common. NRSC recommends that roads signs be installed and drivers drive cautiously.

Others spots are Musita trading centre because of many trucks that park there and cane trucks and Magamaga, which has a sloping narrow road and a railway fl y-over. Iganga-Busia hihway This has seven accident spots.

Busesa, 22 km from Iganga; a busy trading centre and the cross road on both sides of the highway. Road markings have faded from Bugiri.

NRSC says accidents in this area happen often at night. Others are Naluwerere, a busy trading centre, Bugiri, busy town, Kibimba because of humps near the factory, Namayemba, because of the narrow bridge, Busia, a busy town and narrow road with broken edges and Busitema because of wild animals crossing.

Mbale–Soroti highway
 

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This road has 10 black spots. Nkoma (5km from Mbale town), Nakaloke (15km), Kachumbala (25km), Bukedea (30km), Atutur (40), Kumi (45) and Kapir (50km) are busy towns and motorists are advised to drive at 30km/h.

At Awoja swamp (60km), speeding should be avoided because of the many uncontrolled animals in road. Others spots are Awoja Primary School, Opuyo Stretch whose road has been eaten away.

“Although road signs have in past been installed by UNRA, they have been vandalised,” the document states.

Soroti-Lira highway

The spots that need attention on this road include Soroti Hospital, Nakatonya (2km from Soroti), Katine swamp (30km), Otuboi (40km), Lwala (45km) and Agwata (80km).

At Katine, motorists are cautioned to watch out for a T-junction and uneven surfaces in some areas. At Lwala, motorists are cautioned about sharp corners and a junction, while at Agwata, there is a roundabout in a busy area.

Kampala-Gulu highway

NRSC has identified dangerous spots between Bwaise (3km) and Bweyale (275km) from Kampala.

Motorists should drive slowly along the busy Bwaise trading centre with taxis parked on either side of the road. Kawempe (5km), Mabanda (18km), Bombo (33km), Wobulenzi (48km) and Kasana (69km), Nakasongola (104), Migyera-Kafu (162km) Kigumba (205km) and Bweyale are busy trading centres to note along the narrow road.

 Kakonge-Nakasongola stretch is considered the most problematic on Gulu highway. Willy Katende, a seasoned driver of buses to Juba, says two buses from the opposite direction will find it difficult by-passing each other at the spot.

“Often pedestrians and other cyclists have been run over in the process as drivers encroach on pedestrian lanes,” Katende says.

He says on some days, the Police picks between five to 10 corpses of victims hit and run accidents. Katende, who is also the publicist for Uganda Bus Driver and Allied Association (UBDAA), says they have made persistent requests to UNRA to rectify the problem with no response.

He says buses often collide there like it happened with Gaagaa bus three months ago.

Kampala-Masaka highway
 

The Kampala-Masaka highway has 18 markings with a high number of accidents over the year. The sections that have been identified include Kibuye (4km), busy roundabout; Ndeeba (5km), T-junction and busy trading centre; Nalukolongo (6km), trailers parked on either side of the road; Nateete (8km), dangerous junction and narrow road while Kyengera (12km) is a busy trading centre.

Others are Nakati (13km); sharp corner, vehicle washing bay; Nsangi (21km); sharp bend and Katende (26km) steep slope, junction and narrow road.

Also listed is Kyalusowe (117km) freewheeling trucks moving at high speed; Katonga (81km), narrow bridge and Kampiringisa (42km) and Nyendo (124km), busy trading centre and vehicles parked on either side of the road.

However, the deadliest spots include Kaddugala (116km), Mpigi (35km); Lukaya (101km) and Lwera (96km). Because of the high incidences of accidents, some sections have been given names by locals.

For example, Kaddugala is a Luganda word meaning ‘black spot’. The spot is about 10km from Masaka town and infamous for having several bends.
 

First-time motorists driving around the spot have a difficult time because there are no road signs to alert you to sharp corners ahead. The Buwama-Lwera section is smooth for motorists and has no potholes. But the excitement most times takes them to the grave.

Hamis Kiriggwajjo, a taxi driver, who plies the Masaka-Kampala route, says because the road is smooth, braking becomes difficult, especially on a rainy day.

Masaka-Mbarara

Motorists are cautioned to check speeding, watch out for wild animals, especially at night and take consideration for vendors chasing cars as they jostle for an opportunity to sell their gonja and skewered roasted meat.

Motorists are advised to reduce speed to as low as 30km/h, especially at trading centres and Mbarara town (276km).

At Lake Mburo (219 km), there may be wild animals crossing, while at Sanga (234km), you will bump into roadside vendors. At Marongo (177km) the road has continuous sharp bends and a steep slope. Similar spots include Katovu (184km), Nkoni (147km) and Kingo (144km).
 

Kampala-Fort Portal

NRSC has identifi ed 18 spots, located between Wakaliga (3km from Kampala) and Fort Portal (244km). At Bulenga (11km) and Bbira (13km), there are sharp bends and drivers are advised to reduce speed.

At Kiwawu (46km), there is a steep slope, while at Kikonge speed to a limit of 30 km/h is recommended because it is a busy trading centre.

Reduction of speed is also advised in Mubende town (100km), Mugwanika (120km), Kyegegwa (142km) Matri (176km), Kyejonjo (196km) and Mukunyu (212km) as they are equally busy centres. At Mpanga (224km) there is busy market and a narrow bridge.

Mbarara-Kasese

There are nine spots on this road. Kashaka (24km from Mbarara) is busy trading centre, which is on a steep hill and has a sharp bend. Itendero (28km) and Kabwohe (32km) are busy centres and also require slowing down to speed of 30km/h.

Ishaka (76km) has trucks joining the road from URA parking yard, while Rwentuuha (68km) is a busy centre and has a roadside market. Omu’Nkombe (80km) has a steep slope with bends and a lake at the bottom after a sharp bend.

Katunguru (112km) has a narrow bridge. Kyambura (96km) has a roadside market and a steep slope as you enter Queen Elizabeth National Park.

At Kasese (142km), there is a Cobalt plant as you enter Kasese town and trucks join the road. Kabale-Kisoro highway It is a spot where Assistant Superintendent of Police, Alex Niwagaba, attached to the Crime Intelligence in Kampala and his colleague Mark Muzamiru died after the vehicle they were travelling in overturned at Kanaba about 18km from Kisoro town in 2012.

Ronald Mugabe, who frequently travels along the road, says the road has steep corners, which are hemmed in by a sharp cliff one side.

MANY BLACK SPOTS FIXED
 

The director for traffic, Steven Kasiima, says many of black spots have been fixed.

“Except on Kampala- Jinja highway, black spots have been removed in many places and we realised a tremendous drop in roads accidents,” he says.

“At spots that are yet to be fixed, we have deployed traffic Police personnel there. In Mabira, for example, we have a police station.

Officers there are equipped with speed guns. We have also equipped them with logistic support to manage rescue and evacuation in case of accidents,” he said.

Kasiima blames reckless road users. “If you are a passenger, say no to speeding.” Uganda National Roads Authority admits that some known black spots are yet to be worked on.

Giving an example of Mityana Road, UNRA spokesperson Dan Alinange says they have fixed black spots, but accidents still occur because of speeding.

“Unfortunately, teaching drivers to be disciplined on the road is not our job. Our job is improving the road by installing climbing lanes and other interventions improve safety,” he said.