By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has expressed concern that no bus stops have been built along the K36 million Waigani road project in Port Moresby.
NRSC chief executive officer Frank Aku said the K36 million was more than enough to cater for the designing and building of the bus stops along the 1.8km six lane project.
“PMVs will cause nasty road accidents by just stopping anywhere to pick up and drop of people living and working along that area.
“Currently residences from the Games police barracks, customers and employees of Waigani country club and members of the Manus Christian centre stop PMVs along that area to be picked up and be dropped off.
“But that area is still developing and there will be more houses and business centres built. There will be more people needing bus stops in that area apart from the people now using it,” he said.
Mr Aku said the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) engineers did not submit their design for the project for the Council to do road safety audit despite requesting them (NCDC) for it (design) since last year.
“The building of bus stops along roads where people live and work is compulsory and is required by international road safety standard.
“Such negligence’s shown by NCDC is not good,” he said.
An NCDC engineer who requested anonymity due to the controversial nature of the project, said PMVs will use the outside lane of the six lane road.
“The outside lane is the slow lane. We will put up signs after the completion of the road for the PMVs to pick up or drop of people for Games barracks and Country club.
“Currently the road is still under construction and might be completed by next month,” he said.
Meanwhile, Global construction project manager Neil Nakikus said they were building the road according to the designs set out by the NCDC engineers.