Tricycles  and their recklessness on Kano Roads

MUDASSIR ALIYU YUNUSA

mudassiray@gmail.com

” ‘Yan Adaidaita Sahu Masu Titi” meaning ‘Tricylists are road masters’,  this appear to be a popular saying in Kano, North-Western Nigeria, particularly with the level of negligence, recklessness, and breaking of traffic rules by quite a number of tricyclists popularly known as ‘yan Adaidaita, who are now believed to be the highest road users in Kano city plying all nooks and crannies of Kano metropolis and beyond.

The tricycle business was formally introduced by Shekarau’s Administration with the view to bring sanity in the transportation sector by providing easy, safe and free movements of people especially women in the state to avoid congestion and prevent women from the undesirable intermingling with men in taxis, buses and more dangerously on Achaba riders.

Mudassir Aliyu Said

It has become more popular and patronized by people after Achaba/Okada was banned during Kwankwaso’s regime where a considerable number of Achaba riders had no option but to switch to tricyclist riders including underage children who don’t know traffic rules and regulations completely.

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The tricycles have become a threat and danger to the safety of roads and road users in Kano. It is really worrisome as these tricyclists are in most cases claiming superiority with little or no consideration of other road users. They break traffic rules as they wished, they move on the wrong lane, occupying the wrong direction, parking anyhow to pick and drop passengers, crossing the road recklessly,  moving arrogantly and displaying a high degree of impudence, impertinent and ill-mannered intersecting of vehicles on the roads, borrowing lane and or taking one way as well as total disruption of almost all traffic rules and regulations.

Another alarming issue that needs to be addressed urgently is the underage tricycle riders, where children under 15 years are operating the machines picking passengers without the knowledge and awareness of road rules and regulations.

The children are just riding and making the wrong move, picking and dropping passengers with little or no consideration of other road users, traffic rules as well as road signs and signals.

Wallahi this issue of underage Tricyclists  is really disturbing., government and concern authorities should not just take it lightly, because it is the most dangerous of all and thereby most be banned completely.

I witnessed an incident where a boy of fewer than 14 years caused an accident as a result of reckless driving in which so many matured responsible people became the victims of underage tricyclist.

The most annoying is even though the boy was guilty but would be difficult to face the consequences or arraigned in any court of law because of his age which is under puberty.

It has been observed and sampled that out every ten(10) cars in Kano, eight (8)  are victims of tricyclist(s) in one way or the other, yes it is true particularly when many private and commercial cars in Kano have a yellow mark (paint of tricycles) as a result of how these tricycles are making the roads inconvenient either intentional or unintentional.

I suggest that the government should create a strong policy that will sanitize the activities of tricyclists. Active rules and regulations would ameliorate the road disturbances and frequent occurrence of accidents caused by tricyclists should be introduced.

There is a need for the Road traffic agencies to reserve the areas, roads, and lane in which all tricycles should operate within and avoid interference with other vehicles.

I  also suggest that the policy should be very rigid so that they must abide by it or otherwise harsh penalty or sanction should be attached to it for those who deliberately break the rules and regulations.

Mudassir can be reached on 08028188129 (text only)