The Road Transport and Safety Agency says the airport road speed limit will be increased to 100km per hour.

And RTSA says it is illogical for a well taught driver to complain about lack of adequate speed-limit markings on the road because they are expected to know.

Speaking when he featured on ZNBC’s Open Line program, Wednesday, RTSA public relations manager Fred Mubanga said the agency had taken into consideration concerns from motorists that the airport road speed limit was too low.

“Airport road, we have addressed all the issues that have got to do with airport road, we will be announcing the date when the new speed limit will take into effect but we have put the new speed limit for Airport Road. As we are speaking right now, our engineers were on the road and Airport Road will be upgraded to 100km/hr but of course we should bear in mind that because of the area, there are some settlements around that area, of course it is a two-way thing, motorists should be on the look out,” Mubanga said.

And RTSA says it is illogical for a well taught driver to complain about lack of adequate speed-limit markings on the road because they are expected to know.

“A well taught driver will always know the speed limit at any given area. Of course we are going an extra mile to remind them through the sensitisation we have been doing and we have continued on a scaled up [level] because our prime purpose is to save people’s lives. We have seen that the project is working quite well for Lusaka and the sensitisation is slowly getting to the people so we will now be rolling out this project to other parts of the country especially on high ways where accidents usually happen,” Mubanga said.

“In terms of warning signs, to show that this area has got speed cameras, mind you we only have four points in Lusaka which have got speed cameras, of course facing different directions, making them eight. So all the areas that have got cameras, we have got a speed warning sign now to show that there is a camera there. As we speak, if you can go with me to Great East Road right now, you can see that the cameras are there.”

Mubanga also said the proceeds from speed cameras were going to central government.

“The proceeds of course are going to the central government,” said Mubanga.

But according to a Concession Agreement between RTSA and Intelligent Mobility Solutions Limited, a Consortium of Kapsch International and Lamise Trading, government was only entitled to 85 per cent of the proceeds whilst the latter would be getting 15 per cent of the proceeds for a period of about 15 years in order to realise their investment.