Upon assuming office as the New Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), David Panda-Noah manifested his determination to serve his country in the best interest of Sierra Leoneans.

The Executive Director did not mince his words in saying that the only way Sierra Leone can be better placed in the steady path of development was to sanitize the transport sector by protecting the lives of vulnerable road users in line with the president’s new direction.

Mr. Panda Noah pointed out that the level of lawlessness and impunity on the roads was unacceptable in any decent society. He disclosed that road safety laws should not be left on the shelves but must be implemented with all seriousness.

The people of Sierra Leone started experiencing the execution of Mr. Noah’s intention and commitment in terms of maintaining compliance of the rules and regulations relating to best practice in the transport sector intensified over the weekend.

This was one of the most successful operations ever conducted by the SLRSA. Nearly seventy (70) governments owned vehicles belonging to various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were apprehended and fines were imposed. Some of the government vehicles were towed to the SLRSA Headquarters, a move many members of the public saw as unprecedented in the history of the SLRSA.

This attempt by the Executive Director has boosted the moral of not only the road safety corps but the entire SLRSA staff.
What many believed to be the Executive Director’s toughness was the translation of his utterances into action by accompanying a combined team of the authority’s enforcement personnel, the road safety corps and the Sierra Leone Police, to execute an operation on unlicensed government vehicles within the western area.

The Executive Director was extremely concerned over the large number of stationary vehicles along major roads in the country.
To address this menace, he is in the process of acquiring spaces in strategic locations that will be utilized as impounding yards for stationary vehicles as well as vehicles towed from street garages. He was hopeful that before the end of 2018, the issue of stationary vehicles on Sierra Leone’s highways will be firmly under control.

On the issue of metal seats in public service vehicles locally known as “poda poda” Mr. Panda-Noah has directed that with immediate effect, ‘poda poda’ with metal seats should no longer be registered by the authority.