Opinion | Well done road authority in the city of Juba

By Dr. Jacob K. Lupai

OPINION – The phrase “Well done road authority in the city of Juba” may sound like somebody is being flattered. Somebody may also ask, well done road authority in the city of Juba for what when many of the roads are horrible and almost impassable with motorists left to pick up the pieces of gross negligence. One only needs to see how major roundabouts in the city of Juba are so congested with heavy traffic in rush hours that one wonders whether there is really a road authority in the city of Juba at all. Motorists patience is tested to the limit when one is stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end and when especially one is approaching a roundabout or a junction.

With all that said about the roads in the city of Juba, there is hope for better roads. However, the hope may depend on how one’s perception of a glass is, whether the glass is half full or half empty. Those who look at the glass as half empty may not see any progress in road infrastructure development at all. In contrast, those who look at the glass as half full may appreciate the effort being made in improving roads in the city of Juba. It is here that the phrase, “well done road authority in the city of Juba” is used as a compliment on what is seen taking place. It is a word of encouragement for those who are in charge of road maintenance to double their effort.

It is a fact that road maintenance in the city of Juba seems to have been neglected for far too long. Seeing is believing, although somebody may have an eye sight problem that they may not see any difference in the conditions of roads. Any resident in Juba will not fail to notice the sad conditions of roads in and around Juba, the seat of both national and state government. However, it is not clear who is in charge of road maintenance in the city of Juba. It is a pity that the motorists are the ones who suffer the most despite paying taxes including road tax. Motorists are getting a bad deal because of poor roads as though they are not paying taxes.

Juba city seems to have been a well surveyed city in colonial Africa. The city had been designed in such a way that residential roads could have been used to relieve congestion on the main roads. For example, Munuki, a recently established residential area, has a network of roads that could have been used to ease traffic on main roads. There is a road through Suk Libya and Suk Melishia that passes through Juba na Bari (Tongping) to Juba International Airport. This would have reduced congestion on the main road to the Airport through the Ministries. However, the road is symptomatic of development stagnation in the country as a whole. There are many examples of residential roads that could have been used as shortcut to reduce traffic jams on the main roads if only there is a clear concept of and commitment to infrastructure improvement for development.

One problem may that there is lack of resources for road infrastructure development. This is, however, not a good reason. It is well known that taxes are being collected for service delivery including provision of network of passable roads in towns and cities. The question is, where are the collected taxes going to? This is an open question because different people will have different answers. However, one thing is certain. Motorists will always suffer needlessly. What do the two levels of government, national and state, think of the horrible conditions of roads in residential areas in the city of Juba? Hopefully, there will be answers to satisfy motorists and passengers alike.

Despite the horrible conditions of roads in the city of Juba, there is something to admire about the road authority in Juba, if there is one. On 12 October 2020 when driving to office in the morning the roads east and north of Dr. John Garang International School were as bad as any residential road. However, when driving past by in the afternoon there was a dramatic change. The surface of the roads was smooth and compacted to a quality hardly seen recently. The roads were graded and compacted to a comparatively high level of local standard.

Road infrastructure improvement is key to development and an essential provision of service. The road authority should therefore focus on grading and compacting the roads in residential areas. Eventually, good roads in residential areas will become short cuts to ease heavy traffic and congestion on the main roads that are nightmares to traffic police. Many traffic police are doing an excellent job in directing the flow of traffic to the satisfaction of motorists. However, there some who are not interested in directing the traffic but just sitting, standing or chatting while the poor motorists are desperately struggling for right of way in a heavy traffic jam.

One dedicated traffic policeman is worth commendation. At the Seventh Day Adventist roundabout there is a traffic policeman who is one of the most outstanding persons in directing the smooth flow of heavy traffic. He is just like a music band conductor and seems to enjoy his job. Motorists are also happy to see the traffic policeman so efficient in directing the smooth flow of traffic in rush hours. The policeman directs traffic to 3rd and 4th exists. Whenever driving by my thump is always up in recognition of the excellent job of traffic policeman who deserves nothing less but a high commendation.

In conclusion, well done the road authority in the city of Juba for an excellent job done that caught my eye and so you deserve a word of appreciation with the hope that more of the good work on roads will continue and be seen in Juba.

The Author is an Associate Professor of Food Security at the University of Juba and Principal of Kuajok Community College with research interest in agricultural development focusing on agricultural extension, food security and Nile River waters, federalism and human rights. Dr. Lupai is also the Author of the book, South Sudan, Issues in Perspective, published in 2014.

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