Windhoek’s Western Bypass has become notorious for claiming at least one life every two months if recent reports of fatalities along this stretch of road are anything to go by.

Just this week, a young man lost his life as he attempted to cross the road.

He was on his way to work to eke out a living for himself and many others depending on him.

He could have been an honest man who lived by the rules and committed no crime all his life.

Yet, his life was tragically cut short.

He was reduced to a statistic.

Surely, the loss of life along this road cannot be allowed to continue.

Several years ago, plans were underway to introduce short-term measures to make the Western Bypass safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.

The touted measures included pedestrian safety signs, speed calming measures and visible traffic surveillance along this road.

Speed humps were also considered for installation on the Western Bypass.

Sadly, no number of high-rising road warning signs and education on safe driving – or crossing – will make the matter go away.

Also, no education on wearing reflector jackets when crossing the road will cut it.

The design and development of the Western Bypass must adapt, as communities and the city grow and speed restrictions are not recognising the immense changes that have occurred and are still occurring in the Namibian society since independence.

When the Western Bypass was conceived, designed and constructed, it ran past Windhoek.

However, with an explosion of housing and business development on the western side of the city since independence, it is now, for most parts, running through a very busy Windhoek.

In fact, the Western Bypass has just become a busy city street, while also serving as an extension to the A1 freeway.

A freeway is defined as a dual-carriageway main road, with a dividing strip between the traffic in opposite directions and usually two or more lanes in each direction.

Had the changes in the city and surroundings been considered, the Western Bypass would long ago be the longest street of the capital city, instead of being treated as a highway with all the dangers that come with it.

It is now obvious that reducing the speed limit on Windhoek’s notorious Western Bypass has not deterred speeding drivers or improved safety on the road.

Unfortunately, there are still motorists who do not stick to the speed limit on that section of the road.

Perhaps a new speed limit is one of several strategies to improve safety on that road.

In terms of the Roads Authority Regulations, a bypass route like the Western Bypass must be free from any intersections due to the high-speed limits allowed on the bypass routes.

The problem was never the speed limit but the fact that pedestrians were allowed to cross a highway at will.

The solution is to have pedestrian crossings because, if a car hits you at 80km/h, you could still die.

What more needs to be done is to ensure safe passage for pedestrians using the road.

One idea that is common the world over is having pedestrian bridges or pedestrian overpasses as they are often referred to.

Pedestrian crossing facilities, such as crosswalks, pedestrian footbridges, overpasses and underpasses at intersections or midblock with crossing facilities are designed to separate pedestrians from the moving vehicles, hence improving safety.

The high population and inadequacy of traffic infrastructure in developing countries have resulted in road traffic crashes and traffic congestion.

Pedestrian crossing facilities – such as crosswalks (signalised and unsignalised), pedestrian bridges, as well as overpasses or underpasses at intersections or midblocks – are designed to separate pedestrians from moving vehicles, thereby improving their safety.

Unfortunately, pedestrians prepare to cross illegally.

Traffic accidents involving vulnerable road users, pedestrians, and cyclists are a critical safety threat around the globe.

An estimated 275 000 pedestrians die every year globally because of traffic collisions, statistics reveal.

Whatever the reasons for or against may be, the bottom line is that something drastic needs to happen to stop the carnage along the Western Bypass.