Juba City is growing rapidly, and with its growing population comes an increasing demand for safe, organised, and reliable public transportation.
Every day, thousands of residents depend on buses, minibuses, taxis, and other public transport vehicles to travel to markets, workplaces, schools, hospitals, and residential areas.
Yet one major challenge continues to affect the city: the shortage of properly designated parking yards for public transport vehicles.
The government, through the relevant authorities, should urgently allocate sufficient land for public transportation parking yards across Juba City. This is not a luxury but an essential part of proper urban planning and traffic management.
In many parts of Juba, public transport vehicles are forced to park along busy roads because of inadequate parking spaces.
This contributes to traffic congestion, obstructs pedestrians, and exposes passengers and drivers to accidents.
Drivers have recently raised concerns over shrinking public transport space at Jebel Market, while other areas, including Customs, Konyo-Konyo, and Gudele, also face pressure on available parking facilities.
A properly planned parking yard would bring order to the public transport sector. Vehicles could operate from designated locations, passengers would know where to find transport, and authorities could better regulate routes and traffic.
Such facilities should include waiting areas, sanitation services, lighting, security, and clear entry and exit points.
The allocation of public land for transport infrastructure must also be protected. It is troubling when land traditionally used for public transportation is allegedly converted or allocated for other purposes without providing an alternative location for drivers and commuters.
Public infrastructure should be preserved for the common good, especially in a fast-growing capital like Juba.
Recent concerns surrounding the Jebel Market bus park demonstrate why authorities need a clear and long-term policy to protect transport spaces.
The government should therefore work with Juba City Council, the Central Equatoria State government, transport unions, and urban planners to identify strategic locations and reserve land specifically for bus terminals and parking yards.
Earlier urban transport planning for Juba identified the need for terminals and parking facilities in several parts of the city.
Juba cannot continue expanding while public transport vehicles struggle to find safe places to park and pick up passengers.
Allocating land for organised public transport parking yards would reduce congestion, improve safety, and create a more orderly transport system.
It is time for the government to act. As Juba develops, public transport infrastructure must develop with it. A city without proper transport terminals and parking yards will continue to face avoidable congestion and disorder. The land needed for public transportation should be allocated and protected now for the benefit of drivers, passengers, and the future of Juba.
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