Commercial bike riders in Bamenda 1 municipality have been sensitized and trained on road safety measures and responsible behavior.
This was a component of a one-day session organized by the mayor of Bamenda I, Mayor Mbigha Felix, held on Monday, October 21st, at the Bamenda 1 council hall.
The sensitization campaign, birthed from a collaboration between the Bamenda I Council and the Ministry of Transport, was attended by the Fon of Bamendakwe, HRH Fon Forchesiri III, and the divisional delegate for transport,t, amongst others.
According to the Mayor, commercial bike riders in Bamenda 1 have been responsible and play a great role in the peace enjoyed by the municipality.
“Bike riders in this community have done a lot for the safety of the community. If you see the peace drive in Bamenda I, they played a great role in bringing peace. The bike riders in Bamenda I are well organized. They have their parks and presidents and nobody will come and load in a place that is not theirs. They must ask to know who you are and that is to sustain the peace we have in our community. I would like to appreciate them,” Mayor Mbigha said
He went further to state the importance of bike riders in the community
“The bike riders sector is very important in the community, and if you look at the number of bike riders that we have here today, it proves that we needed this sensitization for road safety, looking at the number of people they carry every day. We are trying to secure their lives and that of the population.” he ended
The bike riders were drilled on road safety rules, the importance of helmets, regular bike maintenance, awareness of road conditions, passenger safety, dealing with emergencies, safety distance, and the importance of communication methods.
With 50 deaths in Cameroon caused by the nonuse of helmets, the president of the Bike Riders Association for Bamenda I, Muma Emmanuel Taniform, says the lessons learned from the sensitization campaign are important and will help them as they go about their daily life.
“I have learned about the license issue. When I go back, even my friends who are not commercial bike riders but own private bikes will also gain from this knowledge. They will also know that when buying their bikes, they should have their receipts because it will make it easier for them to get their carte grise, and also, they should respect the highway code. The meeting has empowered us with knowledge,” Muma Emmanuel said.
He went further to mention some challenges they face on a daily.
"We are praying that the uniformed people (soldiers) should be friendly with us. At times when we meet them on the way, they don’t show us love even when we try to show them the love, some will understand, but others do not understand,” Muma Emmanuel ended.
The sensitization campaign was also an avenue where bike riders were educated on the documents needed for licensing; they were encouraged by the mayor with helmets to carry out their jobs in safe conditions.
