By Gracia Obi
Truck pushers have taken over the major streets of Suleja, pushing trucks or wheel barrows but without regard to other road users, including pedestrians.
In a surveillance carried out by Blueprint yesterday found out that the menace caused by these Truck pushers has become a nuisance on the roads are not even mindful of the health implication of their action.
According to Malam Bawa Mohammed, who spoke to our correspondence his experience with them, “often they throw their weight around, without consideration for other users.”
“In fact, they have even tagged themselves as “King of the Roads” and they often exhibit the arrogance and stubbornness to go with this whenever they are pushing their trucks.
Though the trade could be seem as legitimate, their flagrant disobedience of traffic rules and regulations and obstruction of free-flow of vehicular movement continues to cause a lot of problems between the pushers, vehicle owners and even the pedestrians.
Another resident corroborating that on several occasions, pedestrians and shop owners along these roads are thrilled to a “free of charge boxing bout” occasioned by hot argument between some of these barrow pushers and whoever engaged or challenge them on the road.
“On such occasions, because of the overloading of their wheel barrows and their inability to speed up their movement, they cause unnecessary traffic jam on the major streets which eventually lead to tension and consequently end in disagreement between the pushers and the motorists, thereby causing disorder and insecurity on the roads.
“When they are on the road, they take total control of the two lanes, thereby making it extremely difficult for free flow of traffic on both sides.
“No amount of horn blaring can scare them. In fact, the more you blare the horn of your vehicle, the more reluctant they are as they push on at their own pace.”
Given this situation, many were left wondering if these people were above the law or even if they were authorised to operate on the highways.
The Federal Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Alphosus Theophilus, classified the wheel barrow pushers to the group of “unprotected road users” which he said include pedestrians, animals, horse riders, the cripple, the aged, among others.
He said the law backing the pedestrians and the unprotected road users also apply to them, adding that since a truck cannot push itself as it was being pushed by someone, the law that applies to unprotected road users apply to them.
He said: “There is no rule that mandated us (FRSC) to arrest them but the natural rule is there. The person that knocks another road user down knowingly or unknowingly can seek redress in the law court and such person can be charged for manslaughter.
“Really, overloading is against the law and is also classified as a serious offence, but unfortunately, it is not within our powers to apprehend them. If they, however, continue to pose a threat to other road users, they will be called to order through their Association of Wheel Barrows Pushers.”
