Vanuatu’s Director General of Public Works Department will appoint the Port Vila City Council as Road Administrator for roads around town.
Deputy Director of PWD, Junior George, gave the assurance to Town Clerk, Peter Sakita, Manager Town Planning, Mandes Tangaras and senior Town Planner, Jenny Tuasu during a recent amicable meeting to iron out small differences between the Public Roads Act and the Municipalities Act.
Section 9 of the Roads Act says the Director General (PWD) may appoint the City Council as Road Administrator for specified public roads located in relevant municipal boundary.
While the Municipality Act states that a council shall have the general and care of all roads, including streets or bridges, other than those maintained by the government.
The Roads Act does not harmonize with the Municipalities Act.
Mr Sakita said once PWD hands over the roads in Port Vila it will come under the Town Planning Unit.
The Port Vila City Council team visited the PWD last week to discuss the possibility of installing zebra road crossings in town, and close to primary schools around Port Vila, as well as install road signage to ease traffic congestion in the City.
Port Vila Municipalities Act states that the council shall gave the “general care of all roads, including any streets and bridges” in town.
Section 32 of Cap 126 also states the Council may make, construct, alter, repair and if necessary temporarily close all roads, streets, bridges, ferries, sewers, drains, culverts vested in the council or under its control.
Senior Port Vila citizens will remember the road between the UNELCO and Eric Wong Store was built by the Port Vila City Council when the late Serge Puyo-Festa, the father of the current mayor was at the helm of the Council in the mid-80s.
A new Public Roads Act of 2013 states that all roads around Vanuatu including Port Vila belong to the government and the Director General Public Works Department is the Road Administrator.
But under section 9 of the Roads Act the PWD DG may appoint a Municipal Council to be the Road Administrator of a category of public roads located in the Municipal boundary.
The function of the Road Administrator is to ensure that public roads and road structures on public roads are safe, having regard to traffic, topography, geology and environmental conditions.
Photo supplied Caption: Port Vila city