FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo
For the over 200,000 owners of these vehicles, the directive has evidently been inconvenient, especially if their line of work requires that they travel throughout the city.

With schools closed, most public service employees asked to stay home, and many businesses having closed their doors, the streets of Addis Abeba have emptied significantly over the past weeks. But the Ministry of Transport has thought it prudent to go one step further and issue a directive to reduce mobility. This has been done by allowing privately-owned vehicles, which have a Code-02 license plate, to be driven only every other day.


Vehicles with license plates ending on an even digit are permitted to use the road on three alternating days throughout the work week, those with plates ending on an odd digit may use the road on the other days. The enforcement of this measure began last week, though traffic police officers have not received instructions on what steps must be taken against offenders. To date, only health professionals have been spared the restriction and given special passes.


For the over 200,000 owners of these vehicles, the directive has evidently been inconvenient, especially if their line of work requires that they travel throughout the city. Those who have complained about the measure stress that it could, in fact, compound the problem since it forces people to take public transportation, counteracting the government's physical distancing measures.


Officials at the Federal Transport Authority do not see it this way. They believe the measure is critical to reducing overall mobility while also allowing life and work to continue to some extent.

While experts in traffic flow and management agree that the government should indeed be doing what is in its power to ensure that physical distancing measures are heeded, they find this directive to be overkill. Traffic flow had already substantially decreased, they believe, and the new directive will likely only inconvenience users of these vehicles.


You can read the full story    here    


PUBLISHED ON Apr 25,2020 [ VOL 21 , NO 1043]

[ratemypost]


Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

The Incalculable Costs of Corrupt Statistics

With gross domestic product (GDP) and employment figures dominating political debates...

Dollar's Fragility in a World Without a True Alternative

For decades, the Dollar's position as the world's leading reserve currency has provid...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Will Community Health Insurance Falter Under Its Ambitious Weight?

Aug 30 , 2025

For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...

The Capital Market May Be Too Shallow to Swim In. Beware.

Aug 23 , 2025

Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...

Capital Market Ambitions Face Credibility Test Over Conflicted Oversight

Aug 16 , 2025

A decade ago, a case in the United States (US) jolted Wall Street. An ambulance opera...

Squeesing Stones for Silver, the State Pulls While Taxpayers May Duck

Aug 9 , 2025

In the 14th Century, the Egyptian scholar Ibn Khaldun drew a neat curve in the sand....

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

From Stardom to Strength

When we speak of Zeritu Kebede, most recall the sensational voice that redefined Ethiopian music nearly two decades ago. Beyond the stage li...

Kindness That Came Full Circle

Some lives are measured in wealth, others in status, but the richest lives are measured in kindness. My European mentor, more like a father...

Life Matters

The Elusive Pursuit of Happiness

Lately, thoughts about happiness have lingered persistently in my mind. It has always been a captivating subject; something pursued with a s...

Birth of African Icons

As I walked through the market in search of a school bag for my children, I noticed something striking: almost every bag, lunchbox, and t-sh...