Motorists in Nairobi on Tuesday, March 7, called upon the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to remove the rumble strips on Kenyan roads.
According to the motorists, the strips only add to the dangers of driving, especially for cyclists, but also damage the vehicles.
"Rumbles strips are outdated ways of controlling speed," one motorist lamented.
Former Foreign Affairs PS, Ambassador Macharia Kamau, also questioned the existence of the endless mountain-size car-breaking bumps.
"What's with all the bumps around the city every few hundred metres, what is that about" he posed.
Furthermore, other motorists complained that the overdone strips are done in a haphazard, rogue, and irregular manner.
"There is a serious obsession with rumble strips all over the country. Rumble strips should be small, even, and smooth," the motorist told KeNHA.
Some motorists use the Ngong to Lang'ata link road to avoid the hazardous strips to speed up and prevent their cars from rattling.
"KeHNA, kindly check out the rumble strips on the Eastern bypass and you will sympathise with drivers there. Also, there are loose chippings all over the place," another added.
However, the authority did not respond to the complaints from the concerned motorists.
Rumble strips are commonly used to warn motorists of merging lanes or speed bumps ahead. The grooves on the road give the driver a tactile and audible warning.
These strips can be found on the road shoulders, lane edges, centrelines, and in the middle of the lane. Those on the road shoulder alert the motorist that they are out of the roadway.
In 2018, KeNHA removed rumble strips at Kangemi along Waiyaki Way after a public outcry. The agency was yet to respond to the latest grievances raised by motorists by the time of this publication.
