Renthia Kaimbi
Road safety expert and activist Felix Tjozongoro has said public frustration with the installation of speed humps on the Western Bypass is misguided and that the real crisis lies in Namibian driver behaviour rather than the traffic-calming measures themselves.
Tjozongoro dismissed claims that the speed humps are improperly placed or unlawful, asserting that much of the outcry stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Western Bypass actually is under Namibian law.
He pointed out that while the road displays green B1 markers, it does not feature the official freeway start sign, which depicts two lanes passing under an overpass.
“By international engineering standards, a freeway must have Full Access Control (no driveways), Grade Separation (no traffic lights or intersections), and Divided Carriageways. Our Bypass currently has traffic lights, allows pedestrians and cyclists, and is only now beginning to close off informal access points. Until these conditions are met, calling it a freeway is legally and technically incorrect,” he stated.
Even if the road were to be treated as a freeway, Tjozongoro argued that the law remains clear.
Under Regulation 323(2), while the general speed limit for a freeway is 120 kilometres per hour, he said the minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi has full legal authority to implement lower limits via road signs wherever safety demands it.
He pointed to the sequence of signage on the disputed stretch, which provides clear warnings of changing road conditions, followed by reductions to 60 kilometres per hour, then 30 kilometres per hour, and finally speed hump warnings.
“If a driver hits a traffic-calming measure at 100km/h in a clearly marked 30km/h zone, the fault lies entirely with the driver, not the hump,” he said.
“We have lost far too many family breadwinners on the Western Bypass. When a breadwinner is killed in a high-speed crash, the economic and emotional stability of an entire household shatters. How can we, as a society, compare the minor inconvenience of slowing down for two minutes to the permanent, devastating cost of losing a human life?”
Tjozongoro, in his assessment of the public complaints that have dominated media coverage, described the rear-end collisions and grievances as a reflection of Namibian driver behaviour rather than a failure of engineering.
He observed that a high number of motorists simply do not adhere to speed limits or pay attention to road signs, treating traffic laws as optional suggestions.
He emphasised that the economic burden of a single fatal crash on the B1, in terms of emergency response, medical bills, and lost societal productivity, far outweighs any minor delay or mechanical wear caused by speed humps.
“Mechanics can fix a worn suspension, replace shock absorbers, and realign wheels; they cannot fix a lost life or bring back a parent,” he stressed.
The safety expert called for a critical cultural shift from ego to empathy, describing the Western Bypass as a shared space used by workers walking home, families travelling together, and logistics transport.
He identified aggressive and impatient driving as the single biggest crisis on Namibian roads today, observing that too many drivers view the road as a “personal kingdom to conquer” rather than a shared public utility.
He urged motorists to comply with the law and clearly posted signs, warning that no driver’s ego is worth a fellow Namibian’s life.
Meanwhile, the ministry, responding to recent newspaper articles concerning the speed humps, clarified its mandate and confirmed that prior to installation extensive stakeholder engagement took place.
Executive director Jonas Sheelongo stated that site visits included the Roads Authority, the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, the National Road Safety Council, and traffic law enforcement agencies, including Nampol and the Windhoek City Police.
The ministry stated that all mandatory and statutory provisions prescribed by Namibian law were followed throughout the process.
