FRSC TO SET UP RESCUE CENTRE ON GOMBE –BIU ROAD

The Federal Road Safety Corps has initiated plans to establish a roadside clinic between Gombe and Biu highway as part of measures towards ensuring prompt response to road crashes on the 125 kilometres stretch of road between Gombe and Borno states.

This resolution form part of findings by the Corps safety Engineering Department during a recent assessment of 50 kilometres of the Gombe- Biu road as part of measures to address some environmental and engineering defects, which pose challenges to motorists along that route.

Details of the road audit indicate that most parts of the 50km section of the Gombe – Biu road is riddled with potholes, failed portions and undulating surfaces, in addition to a total absence of advance road traffic warning signs at junctions, critical bends and bridges thereby exposing road users to avoidable road crashes.

A further assessment of the road section, which is, characterized with averagely good sight distance reveal 10 critical curves with bad shoulders along the Dadinkowa town, Fikabyel junction and Kwardon village with potholes thereby making these portion  of the road more dangerous.

Similarly, there are six standard bridges with broken guardrails and culvert with eroded embankment, which has developed into the road.
Aside from overgrown grasses and shrubs on the eroded shoulders of the roads which increase problems of recovery in situations of loss of control by motorists, there is a very little of road traffic signs and scanty markings on some critical sections of the road.

In a related development, the Corps also carried out a road audit on Bauchi- Darazo  road with evidence of some roads signs vandalized by villagers while the Soro village, Gidan Mai - Duku junction and Darazo town are prone to frequent road crashes due to rampant parking, loading and off loading of vehicles.

The road audit further indicate the indiscriminate parking of vehicles at Soro village and display of items by traders on both sides of the roads, in addition to a road junction along Gidan Mai- Dukku road without a stop sign or bi- direction arrow.
At Tsamiya road junction, the side road is located at a bend without a warning sign and vehicles/motorcycles joining the arterial road, exposed to obvious traffic hazards.

As part of measures towards addressing these environments and engineering defects, the Federal Road Safety Corps has intensified patrol and public enlightenment activities along these routes  while the local government authorities are being contacted to relocate the road- side markets even as designated motor parks are envisaged to be established at appropriated  locations to stem the tide of a voidable road traffic crashes.