After holding several stakeholder engagements with various motorists including boda bodas and taxi drivers about the new Yellow Box Junctions introduced in and around the city -to control the flow of traffic and avoid jam at the crossroads- police working with KCCA is now set to arrest and penalize those who be will found stopping in the marked yellow zones.
The Yellow Box junctions (YBJ) are road traffic control measures enforced at junctions to avoid gridlock. But many drivers who were not familiar with the new traffic control measures had called for more public information and sensitization on on what to do when one approaches a junction with the yellow box.
In simple terms where there is a Yellow Box Junction , a driver will not be allowed to enter that yellow box area unless he or she is sure that the exit route or lane they are taking is clear of traffic -even when the GREEN light clears them. But the same rule allows those turning on the right to continue .
Drivers who will block the yellow box junction will be penalized meaning that no -car is allowed to stop in the marked yellow box junction.
The traffic ruke-book is to the effect that no driver is allowed to enter the yellow box junction unless his or her exit road is clear of traffic. So If a driver stops in a yellow box junction and their exit is not clear – they will have committed a traffic offense and will be liable for a penalty and or fine .
Motorists in Kampala have now been warned that they could face heavy fines if caught stopping in yellow box junctions or making illegal U-turns.
This follows an awareness stakeholder engagement that was organized by the Directorate of Engineering and Technical Services at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to educated the public about the yellow box traffic rules and pedestrian signals awareness..
The stakeholders’ engagement was attended by among others boda boda riders, taxi drivers, bus operators, officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport and Uganda Police .
Eng. Irene Namuyiga, a road safety engineer at KCCA said that the objective of the public awareness campaign was meant to ensure proper use of junctions and follow the traffic rules that govern the yellow box junctions. Namuyiga said all motorists including boda boda riders are supposed to respect this rule.
Kampala Metropolitan Traffic Police Commander Rogers Nsereko said they are going to cracking down on offenders noting that the yellow box junctions will help to improve traffic flow and road safety in the city .
“You are not supposed to drive into the junction and wait in the available space. You will block the other vehicles that have right of way and could have gone but now they will not proceed because you have stopped in the yellow box junction” Nsereko said.
Some of the prominent – Yellow Box Junction have been set up at the Kabira country club and Kira road traffic lights junction , parliamentary avenue among others -to control the flow of traffic and avoid gridlock.
