NRSC On Massive Billboards Demolition From September 1

The National Road Safety Commission (NSRC) is set to embark on a massive demolishing of all billboards situated at places believed to cause road accidents, starting from September 1, 2015.

According to the commission, most of the billboards, apart from the fact that they are not situated properly, are not made from quality materials.

The Executive Director for the NRSC, Ing. Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, said one of the cardinal considerations for safe driving is to see and be seen; therefore, if a billboard distracts drivers, it must be uprooted.

Distraction, she stressed, currently, is one of the causes of accidents in the city.

Touching on the poor quality of materials used for the production of billboards, she said the billboards collapse after a heavy downpour, which causes accidents, traffic and distractions on the roads.

However, she explained that before the commission embarks on the exercise, it has developed standards to look out for such as location and number of indicators.

To this end, she said the commission is working with Urban Roads and other stakeholders to develop the national standards to ensure that billboards are erected at appropriate places and developed with the appropriate materials.

The commission has suggested that advertisers should avoid erecting billboards at locations that will distract drivers.
In a related development, she said the commission has postponed the ban on second-hand tyres due to some ongoing discussions with stakeholders.

She said there are a number of disapproving parties, and as such their concerns must be addressed before the ban is implemented.

Car tyres are made of rubbers, and like other rubber-made products, she said, they have a certain lifespan, and following a number of research, it was found that tyres of good quality deliver best performance.

According to the NRSC, 254 persons lost their lives through road accidents between January and February this year.