The Press — Driving in Gafsa is a Real Challenge
Between already saturated traffic and a demographic explosion that continues to grow, drivers must contend with a daily plague: anarchic and illegal speed bumps. Oversized, poorly designed, and too numerous, they turn every trip into an ordeal, prompting a collective cry of alarm from drivers who are calling on authorities to take urgent action.
In Gafsa, mobility is becoming a daily challenge. In a city that has exceeded 400,000 inhabitants and where traffic is already congested, drivers must face a real nightmare: the proliferation of illegal and poorly designed speed bumps. There are at least 57 of these speed bumps on the RN3 highway connecting Gafsa to Tunis, with some reaching heights of over 20 centimeters, while the official norms of the Ministry of Transport set a maximum of 10 centimeters. Far from ensuring safety, these "car breakers" cause significant material damage: broken shock absorbers, damaged tires, and repeated shocks to the underside of vehicles. For many owners, the bill becomes heavy and the daily commute, unbearable.
The problem is not limited to inner-city streets. With a road network that leaves much to be desired, it is an aberration to ensure the fluidity of regional and national traffic. The Ministry of Transport has repeatedly recalled that these anarchic speed bumps are illegal and that their installation can only be done with the agreement and supervision of the competent authorities. But in Gafsa, this decision seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Some of these speed bumps are even installed by individuals, without authorization or concern for the consequences.
The drivers we interviewed describe a daily ordeal, ranging from the constant fear of damaging their vehicle to the stress of driving on roads that have become impractical. They also denounce the risk of accidents: a poorly marked speed bump can lead to sudden braking, collisions, and real dangers for passengers and pedestrians.
Faced with this unsustainable situation, drivers and residents of Gafsa are launching an urgent appeal to local, regional, and national authorities: it is time to act to put an end to this anarchic and illegal proliferation. It is not only a matter of protecting citizens' right to circulate in decent conditions but also of restoring road safety in a city where traffic is already saturated.
The ball is now in the court of those responsible: revising, removing, or rebuilding these speed bumps according to norms is an absolute necessity. Allowing this plague to continue would be equivalent to abandoning thousands of drivers to an ordeal that, every day, damages their vehicles and their patience a little more.
The roads are in distress, and drivers in Gafsa are on the verge of exasperation. Enough is enough. Drivers are calling on authorities to stop the anarchy of illegal speed bumps and curb this phenomenon. With congested traffic, speed bumps or "humps" as some call them, are becoming car breakers.
