NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 8 — The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has arrested 23 pedestrians for allegedly crossing Thika Superhighway outside designated crossing points, in the latest crackdown targeting unsafe pedestrian movement along Nairobi’s major highways .

📻 Breaking It Down

The pedestrians were arrested during a joint enforcement operation at the Fig Tree Footbridge along Thika Superhighway after they were found failing to use the designated footbridge.

NTSA said the 23 will be charged in court, signalling a tougher approach to enforcing pedestrian traffic rules in areas where footbridges and other designated crossing facilities have been provided.

“Earlier today, the Authority conducted a joint pedestrian enforcement operation at the Fig Tree Footbridge along Thika Superhighway. A total of 23 pedestrians were arrested for failing to use the designated footbridge and will be charged in court,” NTSA said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The authority warned that crossing the highway at undesignated points puts pedestrians at risk of being struck by vehicles while also exposing motorists and other road users to potentially dangerous situations.

“Crossing at undesignated areas not only puts pedestrians’ lives at risk, but also endangers other road users and disrupts the free flow of traffic,” NTSA said.

The Fig Tree operation is part of a broader enforcement campaign by NTSA and the National Police Service targeting pedestrians who cross busy highways at unauthorised points despite the availability of footbridges.

The crackdown has recently extended to several high-risk locations in Nairobi, including Thika Road, the Eastern Bypass, Pipeline-Transami, Buruburu and areas around Nyayo Stadium.

On August 10, more than 50 pedestrians were arrested during a similar operation at the Allsops footbridge along Thika Road after they were found crossing the highway instead of using the designated facility.

NTSA has also carried out enforcement at the GSU Training School area along the Eastern Bypass, where pedestrians were arrested for crossing the highway despite the presence of a footbridge.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya