A long line of vehicles stretches across the tarmac. What is meant to be a two lane road now has four lanes with other vehicles parked on the shoulders of the road. A few brave drivers try to wiggle their vehicles from the road, heading for any small path that may lead them to their destination.

Back to the tarmac, drivers leave their cars and stroll across to meet other drivers lamenting of the snarl up. Passengers sit along the road making calls to their friends and family whom they promised to be home in time for breakfast.

They must now adjust that promise to’ I’ll be there as soon as I can,’ as they send videos and photos as supporting evidence. This is how Gilgil weigh bridge looks like most holidays.

Tales of passengers who have spent several hours stuck at the weigh bridge have been told every year. It gets worse when impatient drivers, trying to showcase their driving skills end up crashing making the situation worse. So dreaded is this section that other motorists seek alternative routes to Nakuru.

While some may argue that this is majorly caused by human behaviour on the road, it also looks bad on the traffic police department who do not come in early enough to mitigate this. In practice, they have been known to land on the scene when the situation has worsened and take too long to unravel the web of vehicles.

Holidays like Easter and Christmas are known well in advance and should be included in the department’s plan way ahead of time.

While it is the duty of the traffic police officers to monitor the roads, motorists must also adhere to basic road etiquette. To quote the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Sherehe isigeuke mazishi. Drive responsibly.

Happy Easter holidays.

Gilgil weigh bridge traffic should not be Nakuru's brand

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