Addis Abeba Traffic Management Agency mounted seven speed radar systems around Piassa at a cost of three million Br.

The installation of the radar systems was financed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charity in New York City that works on environmental, public health, the arts, government innovation and education issues. The project aims to control driver speeding and took two years to implement beginning in August 2017.

The giant displays notify drivers to slow down in bold 26-inch characters if they exceed the speed limit.

The mere existence of the radar systems also alerts drivers by notifying them where a lot of pedestrians and road workers are on the move, according to Daniel Mola, coordinator of the Bloomberg partnership at the Addis Abeba Transport Bureau. The radar systems are installed at places where a lot of traffic accidents happen, added Daniel.

The radar systems have a price of 450,000 Br each and were purchased from the American traffic equipment manufacturer Wanco and supplied by Omar Yassin General Trading Plc. They were installed by a local company, Yemane General Construction and Engineering Plc. The supplier also trained 70 traffic police officers to understand and use the technology.

Wanco, established in 1984, designs and manufactures easy-to-use portable safety equipment and accessories for traffic management, public safety and law enforcement.

Wanco products include variable message signs, arrow boards, radar speed trailers, surveillance trailers, light towers, temporary runway closure devices and generators.

Bloomberg, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vital Strategies formed a partnership under a programme called Partnership for Healthy Cities with the aims of reducing drunk driving and speeding in cities. The programme involves 70 countries globally, of which 10 are in Africa including Addis Abeba.