He has barred heavy-duty vehicles from plying the road from 2 pm to 10 pm at weekends.

Travelling in Douala through the Wouri Bridge, ‘4 étages’, Ndobo in Bonaberi and Bekoko, has of late become a nightmare to commuters, drivers and pedestrians. Due to the ongoing widening of this stretch of road, the rate of traffic jam is terrifying. Since the start of work a few weeks back, it has not been easy to travel to the South West, West, North West and some parts of the Littoral Regions, passing through the stretch. A distance that used to be covered in less than 30 minutes, now takes at least six hours, with 4 étages-Ndobo alone lasting at least four hours! A case in point is a taxi driver who left Ndobo on Saturday, December 14, 2015, at 8:30 am only to get to 4 étages at 2:45 pm!

To improve flow of traffic in this part of Douala, the Governor of the Littoral Region, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, inspected the road on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 and got clarifications from officials of Sogea Satom, the French enterprise carrying out the construction. After discussions with workers, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Wouri, Naseri Paul Bea, security officials, the Divisional Officer, DO, for Douala IV Subdivision, and the Regional Delegates of Transport and Public Contracts, Governor Ivaha Diboua ordered that heavy-duty vehicles be restricted from plying the road on Fridays to Sundays from 2 pm to 10 pm. 

The short-term decision lasts from December 17, 2015 to January 15, 2016. “The restriction will enable small vehicles to move freely and people travelling to the North West, South West, West and some parts of Littoral Regions, to have a smooth and comfortable trip. Truck drivers who violate the measure will be severely sanctioned,” Governor Ivaha Diboua warned. Meanwhile, a secondary road from Sodiko Village to Ndobo and Carrefour Mutzig, coming out at Fermencam, will be rehabilitated to serve as deviation.

Since the gridlock is caused by undisciplined drivers, the Governor called on them to respect law enforcement officers’ instructions. To contractors working on the second Wouri Bridge, the Governor instructed them to fill up potholes before and after the bridge, which contribute to the traffic jam. Given the horrible traffic situation, motorbikes that always had their way now find it difficult to crisscross between vehicles. As a result, taxi drivers and bike riders have raised transport fares.