The Road Transport and Safety Agency says it has recorded a sharp reduction in speeding among motorists after the installation of traffic cameras in Lusaka.

And RTSA says it has decided to waive speed fines charged to motorists along the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport Road, on ground that there was insufficient signage indicating the presence of speed cameras.

This was contained in a statement released by RTSA managing director Zindaba Soko.

“After a detailed investigation, the Road Transport and Safety Agency has identified a shortfall in the speed signage on the Kenneth Kaunda Airport Road. As from Friday 24 August 2018, new speed signs have since been posted on the Airport Road. We therefor caution all motorists to respect these speed limits as the route is equally used by pedestrians and cyclists and that maximum caution should be exercised by motorist when using public roads,” Soko stated.

“In view of the foregoing, motorists who have received and paid fines that were issued in respect to the Airport Road only, the RTSA will waive the fines that were issued for exceeding the speed limit on this road. These individuals will be contacted directly by the RTSA to rectify the matter.”

He went further explain that speed cameras had already started helping in the reduction of road traffic accidents.

“Since the introduction of the speed management programme, the number of motorist’s speed has dropped significantly, resulting is significant and immediate road safety benefits. The initial infringement rates were in the order of 24 per cent (representing the percentage of motorists who were speeding). This has now dropped down to about 4%. This is a substantial change in road user behaviour for the better,” stated Soko.

“The Statistics indicate that traffic violations have drastically reduced in the last one month, an indication that motorists are now starting to adhere to road safety laws and regulations in respect to appropriate speed limits. Based on the preliminary data, the initial program has been a resounding success and the RTSA will build on this initial deployment. In view of this, the roll-out of the speed camera to other parts of the country especially the highway in accident prone areas (black spots) will be implemented soon.”