By Amos Ssemuwemba
This follows the recent accidents around the Nkumba traffic lights area with the recent one involving a school bus carrying pupils of Trust Infant Primary school from Nakaseke,and a double cabin which left 6 pupils hospitalized at Nkumba sub Medical Centre with serious injuries.
“We have conducted a thorough technical inspection of the area to implement measures aimed at preventing future crashes. ” A statement on UNRA’s X account read.
The current setup around the blackspot includes two traffic signals positioned appropriately 100 metres apart, operating on different cycles and this configuration has been identified as a safety risk as motorists are more likely to see the second traffic signal before the first one.
Also, the first set of signals is situated after a crest, creating a short sight stopping distance for vehicles travelling above 50km/hr .
“To mitigate this risk, we will be removing the first set of traffic signals on the Kampala side and closing the median opening with Jersey barriers as a temporary solution. This continues medium barriers will also prevent pedestrian cross over and facilitate uninterrupted flow of traffic at the junction.” The statement read in part.
With now changes, vehicles from Kampala towards Entebbe will nolonger be able to turn at this location, instead right-turning traffic will be re-directed to the next junction with traffic lights, thereby reducing the risk of accidental turns at this section.
Motorists from Entebbe that were previously making right turn to connect to Nkumba University area will now need to proceed to the Mpala interchange, where they can turn around and return to Nkumba.
For long-term safety improvements, we are also proposing the construction of a footbridge at this location to ensure safe pedestrian crossing without interfering with vehicular traffic flow
