Arandis Emergency Response Centre launched
Improving road safety
30 November 2020 | Infrastructure
Veikko Nekundi; Minister; “The centre will provide a plethora of services…”
Arandis • [email protected]
The minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi launched the Arandis Emergency Response Centre recently.
Nekundi said that the centre will result in improved road conditions for road users.
“Once complete and fully operational, the centre will provide a plethora of services for the residents of Arandis, motorists using the B2 road and the surrounding mines,” he said.
Records show that on average Namibia loses about 600 lives due to road accidents per year. “This translates into about 27 lives per hundred thousand inhabitants. Being a small country in terms of demographics, this is a figure that our economy cannot afford,” said the minister.
Nekundi pointed out that the B2 road from Okahandja to Walvis Bay contains sections that are commonly referred to as blackspots.
“These are sections that are characterised by high frequencies of high velocity and high impact crashes. Two of these are situated around 10km east and 30km west of Arandis.”
The minister said that road safety performance has over the years remained a concern for both government and the road-using public on account of hundreds of lives that we continue to lose every year.
“Driven by the desire to do something tangible, something significant and innovative, the Arandis Town Council in conjunction with the National Road Safety Council and Erongo Regional Council resolved not to allow the situation to continue,” said Nekundi.
The mayor of Arandis, Risto Kapenda, said that the emergency response centre idea came into existence thanks to the Arandis Town Councils’ aim of becoming the emergency response hub of the Erongo Region.
“The council took note of the alarming accident rate on the national roads, particularly on the B2 national highway, covering the stretch between Usakos and Swakopmund. We also took note of cases of motor vehicle accident victims succumbing to injuries whilst being transported to either Swakopmund or Usakos while immediate medical services could have been rendered at Arandis.”
The Arandis town council invited the National Road Safety Council of Namibia to partner with them in development and management of its envisaged emergency centre on 11 October 2016.
The minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi launched the Arandis Emergency Response Centre recently.
Nekundi said that the centre will result in improved road conditions for road users.
“Once complete and fully operational, the centre will provide a plethora of services for the residents of Arandis, motorists using the B2 road and the surrounding mines,” he said.
Records show that on average Namibia loses about 600 lives due to road accidents per year. “This translates into about 27 lives per hundred thousand inhabitants. Being a small country in terms of demographics, this is a figure that our economy cannot afford,” said the minister.
Nekundi pointed out that the B2 road from Okahandja to Walvis Bay contains sections that are commonly referred to as blackspots.
“These are sections that are characterised by high frequencies of high velocity and high impact crashes. Two of these are situated around 10km east and 30km west of Arandis.”
The minister said that road safety performance has over the years remained a concern for both government and the road-using public on account of hundreds of lives that we continue to lose every year.
“Driven by the desire to do something tangible, something significant and innovative, the Arandis Town Council in conjunction with the National Road Safety Council and Erongo Regional Council resolved not to allow the situation to continue,” said Nekundi.
The mayor of Arandis, Risto Kapenda, said that the emergency response centre idea came into existence thanks to the Arandis Town Councils’ aim of becoming the emergency response hub of the Erongo Region.
“The council took note of the alarming accident rate on the national roads, particularly on the B2 national highway, covering the stretch between Usakos and Swakopmund. We also took note of cases of motor vehicle accident victims succumbing to injuries whilst being transported to either Swakopmund or Usakos while immediate medical services could have been rendered at Arandis.”
The Arandis town council invited the National Road Safety Council of Namibia to partner with them in development and management of its envisaged emergency centre on 11 October 2016.
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