Rwanda: exasperation mounts at the proliferation of radars
Radars measuring the speed of cars in Ohio (illustrative image) © AP Photo - Al Behrman
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The controversy is swelling in Rwanda in the face of the growing number of radars in the country.
They have appeared everywhere along the roads this year, as part of the national policy to fight against road insecurity.
But in recent days, discontent has grown in the streets and on social networks in the face of ever more frequent, and sometimes steep, fines.
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With our correspondent in Kigali,
Laure Broulard
Émile, a young 22-year-old motorcycle taxi, has just received an SMS from the police telling him that he must pay a fine for speeding.
"
You pass in front of a first radar, it flashes you.
Then you pass in front of another, he flashes you.
And the third time it's the same.
I have to pay 50. But I know some who have had to pay 150. Too much is too much,
”he laments.
This ticket is more than half of Émile's monthly salary.
He's going to have to borrow money to pay it off.
Beside him, Michel, one of his colleagues, adds.
He has just paid a fine of 25 euros: “
The fact that there are so many speed cameras in Kigali, I think it is not only to ensure road safety, but also to make money.
"
In Kigali, some streets are limited to 60 km / h, but others to 40 km / h.
A threshold that many users today find too low.
Apollo, a taxi driver, is more moderate: “
There is no problem.
I agree with the speed limits.
It decreases road accidents.
"
There were around 4,600 accidents in Rwanda in 2019. In early 2020, authorities signed a multi-million dollar contract with Vitronic, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, to install more than 500 radars in the country. , with the objective of reducing accidents by 80%.
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