In Monrovia: Stiff Traffic Restrictions Begin Today

As of today, January 28, the Monrovia - Robertsfield Highway will only be used by the Presidential convoy and vehicles belonging to dignitaries that are in the country for the HLP conference, the Traffic Division of the Liberia National Police (LNP) has announced.

Traffic from Congo Town to Airfield will be diverted through Vamoma House and traffic from the city center (Central Monrovia) to Sinkor will be diverted through Jallah Town. At the same time, traffic from Paynesville to Central Monrovia will be diverted back to Paynesville through Red Light and Somalia Drive. Only emergency vehicles are exempt from these restrictions, the LNP has said.

According to the LNP Traffic Division, beginning today, tactical measures will put in place to ensure traffic safety and the free movement of vehicles and pedestrians ahead of the High Level Panel (HLP) Conference to be held in Monrovia from the January 29th –February 2nd.

The Monrovia conference is the second in a series of conferences arranged amongst the Co-Chairs of the Panel and members of the (HLP) of eminent persons appointed by United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon to draw up a vision and fashion a new agenda that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals after it (MDGs) expires in 2015.

LNP Chief of Traffic, Commissioner John Saah told a recent news briefing held at the Ministry of Information that all vehicles plying the Roberts International Airport (RIA) route will be diverted to Fifteen Gate on the Kakata highway.

“The Monrovia - Robertsfield Highway will be open only to our President and her international guests that are coming to the country. So we want to tell our people that the traffic will be diverted to Fifteen Gate. Absolutely no unauthorized vehicle will be allowed on the RIA Highway. We want our people to abide by these regulations,” Commissioner said.

The traffic boss also indicated that all vehicles heading from Paynesville will be diverted through Somalia Drive to Monrovia. People residing in Paynesville City are those that will be terribly affected by the LNP regulation, as they will be required commute to and from the City’s central business district (Broad Street and other parts of Central Monrovia) through the Somalia Drive.

The traffic boss disclosed that stringent traffic regulations have been put in place to ensure that arriving guests are not caught up in traffic jams across the city. He called on every Liberian, especially taxi drivers and motorcyclists to heed to the regulations.

Traffic officers, he said, will be vigilant in ensuring that the regulations that have been set forth by the LNP Traffic Division are properly executed.