THIS week, Beyond the News starts by highlighting some contributions from two readers of last week’s edition.
In the previous edition, this file dissected the road traffic accident that happened on the Kitwe-Ndola dual carriageway the week before, claiming 13 lives and leaving several others injured.
Our first contributor, who did not disclose their identity, writes; “Our roads are not marked at all, with no signage!
The roads are just too narrow, while there are many heavy duty vehicles such as trucks and tankers using them”.
The writer continues; “Road maintenance on portholes particularly is very shoddy; rehabilitation works are not properly done at all.
What sort of routine maintenance do these authorities talk about if all that we see are portholes turning into near ditches?
“The Road Development Agency (RDA) should visit countries like Botswana and Namibia just to see how roads there are maintained,” they explained.
Levant Malawo featured as second contributor to the forum wrote “Hi James, if Zambia’s economic lifeline now is in Solwezi, the road to the town does not show it.
There, portholes large enough to swallow a human have developed! I wish this was a joke”!
Levant, who also sent through a few pictures of the highlighted spots added that “the really bad sections of the road were not captured as I needed to concentrate on controlling the vehicle; Chingola town is just another disaster story”.
Both the contributions are highly appreciated and I agree with the views of the contributors as they are valid.
This column has on two occasions this year already featured articles capturing the poor road network in the country and the consequences that have resulted from this.
In summing up what Levant wrote, this forum did state previously that towns like Solwezi are currently undergoing serious economic resurgence which will result in increased population of people and motor vehicles.
Therefore, this is the time that authorities in charge of transport should facilitate the expansion of the road network in the district to avoid accidents in the future.
Investors developing Solwezi should have keen interest in this exercise and collaborate with Government to improve the road network through corporate social responsibility programmes.
Separately, a-case in point, is the Dag-Hammarskjold drive in Ndola where contractors have miserably failed to rehabilitate the stretch near the structure famously known as the “Under Bridge”.
The “Under Bridge” is just a few metres down away from the traffic lights at the point where Dag Hammarskjold drive forms a cross-road with President Avenue.
The stretch under the microscope here is full of portholes and the local authority has on two occasions this year closed the road to pave way for “rehabilitation” works.
Subsequent to the “rehabilitation” works on both occasions, nothing meaningful has been done because the stretch still has portholes.
One would scoff at the said works on that area because it seems like no contractor specialised in road maintenance has even made an appearance to survey the site.
Another example of a poor access road is the Ndola-Mufulira road which has been in a deplorable state for far too long now.
Plans are underway to rehabilitate the road under the Link Zambia 8000 road project which has gained momentum in other parts of the country.
This is a good development whose worth will only be affirmed fervently when the works are complete because it is one thing to talk and just another to act.
It will be crucial to get the works up and running, and complete in good time because the route to Mufulira through Kitwe is heavily congested and this is not safe.
Congestion contributed to the recent carnage on the Kitwe-Ndola dual carriageway and as the first contributor notes; some roads are too narrow to accommodate so many vehicles at a go.
Recently, Vice-President Guy Scott toured some “black spots” along the Great North Road and he directed the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to improve road signage on major highways.
RTSA and the RDA should collaborate to ensure that roads  being built are marked upon upgrade to bituminous standard.
These markings should be visible enough to be seen even in the dark to reduce on accidents during the night-time.
Where possible, some in-town roads should be expanded into two or three lanes to accommodate more traffic.
The central business district in many cities now continues to expand with shopping malls and other business entities mushrooming.
The local authority should ensure that there is enough room for motor vehicles and pedestrians to manoeuvre freely.
There should also be clear markings to demarcate room for cyclists as well to move freely.
Contribute to this forum by calling or texting to 0964317110/ 0973182006 or email jameskunda91@gmail.com.