The Mombasa County Government has announced that it will be restricting heavy commercial goods vehicles weighing above 10 tonnes from using Northern Mainland roads.
In a gazzete notice dated August 9, Mombasa County's County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works Daniel Manyala announced that the temporary restriction will run from August 9 to December 6, 2024.
According to Manyala, the restriction will apply during peak hours of the day namely between 6:00 am and 9:30 am as well as 3:30pm to 8:00pm.
The restriction will only apply to specific roads namely; The Nyali Bridge, Fidel Odinga Road, Links Road, New Malindi Road and Old Malindi Road.
"IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 26 (1) (c) of the Mombasa County Roads Act, 2016, the CECM, Transport and Infrastructure, Mombasa County, gazettes the temporary restriction of the usage of the Northern Mainland Roads, Mombasa County by heavy commercial vehicles above ten (10) tons from the 9th August, 2024 to 6th December, 2024," read the gazzette notice.
This is not the first time that Governor Abdulswamad Nassir is announcing a restriction on heavy commercial trucks.
The county chief made a similar announcement in August 2023 while addressing the North Coast Ratepayers and Residents’ Association (NCRRA) at his Mombasa office.
At the time, the governor announced that the move was informed by the need to reduce traffic congestion during peak hours in the Coastal city.
“One of the things that is going to assist us reduce traffic in the city is that we’ve introduced timings for heavy trucks,” Governor Abdulswamad announced.
“The trucks will be restricted from using Nyali Bridge, Fidel Odinga Road, Ferry area, New and Old Malindi Road.”
Traffic Congestion
For a long time, Mombasa County has grappled with traffic congestion which has hampered the Coastal city from realising its full potential.
Before he left office, former Governor Hassan Ali Joho, now Mining Cabinet Secretary unveiled a long term plan to ease congestion in the city.
