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Making Roads Pathways of Progress, Not Corridors of Grief

For the new traffic laws to work, the country needs roads that speak to users, moving beyond warning signs toward infrastructure such as raised crossings, textured surfaces, and narrower lanes. Forgiving design assumes that pedestrians may cross at the wrong moment and that drivers may misjudge distances. The goal is to build a network where these mistakes do not lead to fatalities. Physical barriers and self-explanatory layouts make speeding feel uncomfortable and wrong, guiding behaviour through design rather than simply the threat of a ticket, argued Mesay S. Nasir (mesay.shemsu@aait.edu.et), a lecturer at the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Technology & Built Environment, Addis Abeba University.

May 9 , 2026
By Mesay S. Nasir ( Mesay S. Nasir (mesay.shemsu@aait.edu.et) is a lecturer at the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Technology & Built Environment, Addis Ababa University. )

Making Roads Pathways of Progress, Not Corridors of Grief

May 9 , 2026. By Mesay S. Nasir ( Mesay S. Nasir (mesay.shemsu@aait.edu.et) is a lecturer at the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Technology & Built Environment, Addis Ababa University. )

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Making Roads Pathways of Progress, Not Corridors of Grief

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