Evolution, Safety and Security Challenges of the Public Road Transportation Sector in the North West Region of Cameroon, 1961-1989

Abstract

The paper investigates the evolution and the safety and security challenges that plagued the public road transport sector in the North West Province of Cameroon from 1961 to 1989. Though there has been growing interest and increased activities in the sector since independence, security and safety concerns has become some of the major setbacks to the endeavours of actors in that domain. Using mostly primary and secondary sources, and the thematic and qualitative method of analyses, the study argues chaos and disorder characterized the road transport sector and exposed not only passengers, but also other road users due to inadequate safety and security measures from drivers and conductors of vehicles involved in the sector. Besides, different government agencies in charge of transport management made things worse by abandoning their responsibilities in favour bribes and other financial benefits from drivers, thus giving a blind eye to the safety and security needs of commuters. Reckless driving, over aging, poor state of vehicles and the absence of the maintenance tradition, poor state of road infrastructure and the absence of safety road sings all made the road transport sector a nightmare in the North West Region of Cameroon. it is a result of this factors that crimes and squashing punctuated the security of public road transport users