Residents of Wudil town in Kano State have called on the government to provide a lasting solution to the incessant accidents along the Yobe-Damaturu expressway by constructing a pedestrian crossing bridge at the main gate of Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST).
The community expressed worries over frequent tragic road accidents claiming lives of residents and students at a spot called “death-point” allegedly caused by the reckless driving of motorists along the popular expressway that passes through Wudil township.
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The concerned residents lamented the poor condition of the road despite being a federal highway that links various states and even the country with Chad.
Kano/Jigawa Chronicle reports that the spot, tagged “death-point”, is close to the university’s main gate and it is prone to accidents due to the busy nature of the place.
Some of the community members said that the unavailability of a pedestrian crossing bridge at the University’s main gate had contributed to the incessant fatal accidents involving students and the community members.
Yusuf Abba, a resident of the community, said “Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Wudil Unit, are fully aware of the frequent accidents at the university’s main gate on the dangerous road, which is defined by its many potholes, shredded lane as well as shattered pavements.”
Reacting to the incident, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration of the KUST, Prof Tijjani Saleh Bichi, said while the university was not aware of cases of road accidents involving its students, the neighbouring communities are part of the university’s community and therefore ensuring their safety and protection as part of the university’s concerns and priorities.
“We have erected speed bumps in front of the university’s main gate to control the reckless driving of motorists along that expressway as a proactive measure in anticipation of such road accidents. It is apparent that reckless driving by impatient drivers is what causes road accidents oftentimes involving neighboring community members or students staying off-campus.
“Now that the neighbouring residents have called for government’s intervention to establish a pedestrian crossing bridge to make it easier for both students and residents, I think it is a welcome development, which we hope to see very soon. The university is also urging both the federal and state governments to take a look into this for proper actions”, Prof Bichi added.
Also reacting, the State’s Sector Commander of FRSC, Zubairu Mato confirmed that the corps was aware of the accidents at the spot, stressing, however, that the cases were decreasing looking at the reports of accidents from January 2020 to now.
He noted that the introduction of speed limiting devices for each commercial vehicle to keep track of its speed limit had proved effective in controlling accidents caused by speed driving.
“However, establishing a pedestrian crossing bridge is important and highly recommended but in addition to that there should be public enlightenment and road signs to regulate the movement of pedestrians and motorists along the route”, he added.
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