The Ministry of Youth and Sports has said continued traffic congestion at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe whenever there is a big match is a cause for worry.
The ministry has since vowed to work with other stakeholders to end the problem.
This follows continued security challenges, including fans parking their vehicles almost a kilometre away from the stadium’s entry points which have led to car breaking incidents and traffid jams.
The disruption of traffic often affects motorists travelling to and from areas such as 18, 47, 29 and 25 because the roads are impassable whenever there is a big match.
photo. | Singayazi Kaminjolo
The ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale said in an interview that the traffic congestion has become persisstent and an inconvenience to communities surrounding the facility.
He said: “There are a number of issues that should be looked at. Firstly, we have to sensitise the public in terms of proper parking. The stadium has a parking capacity that can accommodate 400 cars. Unfortunately, people just park along the road which causes congestion.
“Secondly, we need to have feeder roads to the stadium. The stadium structurally you look at the northern and western sides where we have gates that lead to roads.
“On the southern and eastern side that borders with Area 47, there are no gates and if we can have feeder roads, we can create room for vehicles to easily leave the stadium.
“In the long run, we can also explore having spaces where people can park their vehicles and walk to the stadium.
“These three factors can help reduce the congestion that is man-made. As a ministry, we are also concerned because it becomes an inconvenience to the surrounding communities to access or pass by the stadium whenever there is a big match.”
Mwale said they will work hand in hand with the Lilongwe City Council, Roads Authority and the police to bring sanity.
A businessperson, who runs a catering service company said on several occasions they have been inconvenienced by the traffic congestions.
A football fan, Chisomo Ngoleka, described the experience as annoying.
He said: “I have been in that situation several times. It’s just crazy. You get caught up in the traffic without realising it. Suddenly, you realize you are not moving and there is no space to navigate and you are stuck.
“It’s very frustrating. Government should do something.”
Sports pundit and Zodiak Television analyst Charles Nyirenda has suggested a solution for government to adopt.
He said: “Bingu Stadium is located where the space is limited and the most workable way to ease that problem is to build a multi-storey parking structure around that space in the zone between the netball facility and the parking area near the southern Eastern gate.
“In that case, a huge volume of cars will be catered for and, in the process, damage to the highway caused by cars that park anyhow will be curtailed.”
