CBD Ban on Commercial Motorcycles Takes Effect

The proposed ban on commercial motorcycles is in effect on Saturday morning, February 1, 2025.

The ban was announced on January 11 during a meeting between the security sector including the police and the Bike Riders Union at Police Headquarters on George Street in Freetown.

According to Police Commissioner Abdul Moijueh from the Sierra Leone Police Traffic Management and Road Safety, the ban was imposed to ease the flow of traffic in the city centre of the capital, Freetown.

The Police Commissioner urged commercial bike riders to comply with the new directive and emphasized the importance of avoiding violence in their activities.

“We don’t want to see any conflict between the police and bike riders,” Commissioner Moijueh said.

The Director of Road Safety at the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Mr. Kaitongi, emphasized the importance of commercial bike riders adhering to the new directives. He urged them to improve their compliance to enhance road safety for all.

Representative from the Bike Riders Union, Mohamed Turay assured the security sector that members from the union would comply with the restrictions but urged for fair treatment by enforcement officers.

From February 1, commercial bike riders are banned from using the following streets and roads in the capital Freetown: Kennedy Street, Kissy Road, Fourah Bay Road, Sani Abacha Street, East End Police Clock Tower, Goderich Street, Lumley/Free Street, Upper East Street, Circular Road, Regent Road, Pademba Road, Cotton Tree, Percival Street, Charlotte Street, Wilberforce Street, Gloucester Street, Howe Street, Rawdon Street, Wallace-Johnson Street, Lamina Sankoh Street, Siaka Stevens Street, Pultney Street, Bathurst Street, Dundas Street, Adelaide Street, Kroo Town Road, Sanders Street, Campbell Street, Savage Street, Waterloo Street, Brook Street, Wellington Street, Naimbana Street, Charles Street and Jones Street.

These routes which are constituted of Freetown’s central business District are popular among commercial bike riders.