Disturbed by the frequent accidents which claimed lives on Mile 3 Old By-pass road in the state capital, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State yesterday commissioned a barricade erected by the state government on the road.
The governor said the barricade was installed in order to prevent tankers, tippers and trailers which usually crushed people to death from plying it on regular basis.
According to the governor, the road was constructed as a by-pass for big vehicles to pass through in the past, and a new by-pass has been provided for them as the old one is now surrounded by residential buildings due to development and population increase.
Inuwa who noted that 98 people were killed and over 1, 000 were injured this year as a result of road accidents in the state urged traders in a market located on the road to relocate elsewhere to avoid assembling people and putting them at risk.
The governor also urged the Gombe local government council to provide another market for the traders even as he advised residents of the state to abide by the rules of building that recommend houses to be built at least 48 kilometers from the road.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the state sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Felix Theman lauded the state government for erecting the barricade, adding that no fewer than 13 persons had been crushed to death on the road.
He stated that the barricade would help in reducing accidents and deaths on the road and promised that the FRSC would continue to enforce traffic rules in the state.
