It is a good start, but, is it enough?

‘...The city is at a critical stage of change from a slow moving life to a rapid one; It is at a moment of cross over…’

One would observe, not long ago, that every traffic accident had to pass through the Addis Ababa Traffic Police Head Office located at Haile G/Selassie Street.

All vehicular accidents in Addis had normally to be dealt with at this centre. When an accident occurred, the exact spot of the accident had to be marked with a maker by the traffic personnel available on site and the vehicles had to be cleared off to one side of the street to enable the traffic to flow again. Then, the local traffic police man after collecting their driving licenses would instruct both the offender and the offended to report to the A.A. Traffic Head Office and to bring along with them an expert to measure the exact positions of the cars involved in the accident to determine the offender. Then, they would be told to move with their cars by hauling or driving them to the only office that was available for the whole of Addis Ababa. If the accident would occur in the night, then, the vehicles would be secured at the Head Office premises until the next morning when the technician/s would inspect their conditions and report back to the office.

It was after all these formalities that the officer in charge would tell both parties the exact position of the accident and advise them to settle the issues either amicably or through court procedure. However, the violator would be issued a ticket to settle the cost of traffic rules violation.

It was this lonely centre that handled all traffic cases until recently when it decided to branch out at least to other three or four spots to ease the bureaucracy of service. While appreciating the modernizing touch of the services of the Addis Ababa Traffic Police Head Office, it seems to me that branching out further and extending of similar services to all other sub-cities would be in tune with the millennium’s objectives and in proportion to the size of the city and the number of accidents. I believe the existing sub-city police stations are organized enough to entertain and support such services provided that placement of qualified technicians takes place.

Today, as we all know, Addis Ababa is a very large city, not only in the number of its inhabitants, but also, in the size and span of it area. This capital city is sometimes equated with some large cities of Western Europe. It is easy, then, to imagine the time, inconveniencies, and the cost factors of reporting to a few centers only.

When we try to look at other public services, we find out the reasons that compelled them to extend their services to the sub cities, to be, principally, the responses to the social and economic difficulties that people were facing. This is not, of course, intended to undermine the market factors that are high on their agendas. On the other hand, the need for change and the ever expansive nature of the capital-city and the present hectic city life could be considered as additional factors for expediting the branching out of offices. It would not be cynical to add that it is partly to the desire of these public organizations to reduce the unnecessary cumbersome bureaucracy that they have to go through, and partly their concern for the convenience of their clients.

Every body would agree that those steps were in the right direction. It is this feeling that has to be shared yet equally by the Traffic Police Administration. The city is at a critical moment of change from a slow moving life to a rapid one. It is at a moment of cross over.
As far as traffic accidents are concerned, the offenders as well as the offended would be unfortunately caught in undesirable incidences.

The management of such incidences should be tolerable to both parties and to those handling the problems after the accidents. Nonetheless, to manage all accidents only from a few centers will be somewhat difficult in the light of the above arguments and at a time when every movement is measured by promptness of action.
Whatever is the outcome, one thing seems to be correct though. The Traffic Police is managing at best the safety of life and property and ensuring the unhampered flow of traffic amidst the residents of the city. In that, it is honoring its transparency and accountability to the city administration and the dwellers of Addis Ababa in its right as one of the important law enforcing entities. Yet, much is expected to go along the statement, “It is surely a good and commendable start, indeed, but, is it enough?”