There is hardly a month in the country without newspapers reports on railway accidents involving either a car or a pedestrian being crashed. The recurrent accidents occurring on railways have been blamed on limited or non-existence of security signs which are supposed to either warn or give information to other road users who want to cross over a railway track.
Directly crossing over a railway line not guarded by any flagman, gate, bell, or flashing light equipment, without stopping to wait for a warning sign is therefore causing huge damage to human lives and property. This is not because people do not respect railway security signs but that such signs are limited or do not exist on most railway level crossing in the country. Most often, there is only “stop” or a white and red “X” sign which many say is not enough!
Many may think or say that ensuring optimal security around railways is something for developed countries with financial means and technologies to do so. But this is a cause for concern as it is costing the life of people. In many countries, level crossings on less important roads and railway lines are often controlled sometimes with warning lights or bells of approaching trains. But the situation seems different in Yaounde where level crossing on railways barely has warning signals such as “stop”. Take the Obobogo neighborhood which is noted for many railway accidents. The warning lights at the level crossing along the Obobogo railway are not functional but for a stop sign which is only visible at a close range. As such, a driver or pedestrian has to be very close to the rail to be able to know if a train is coming or not.
Further along the Obobogo railway, another level crossing which has only a warning signal, the “Stop” signal was once covered by grass. A taxi-man in Yaounde, Christopher W, says one day he was almost crushed at that point because he was not aware of a coming train and could only see the stop sign when he was less than three metres away from the railway. The situation is not different from the railway that crosses around major roads in the economic capital. Other methods to stop traffic and clear railway tracks such as manual or electrical closable gate will help reduce railway accidents.
