It is common in Yaounde to find motorists, pedestrians and motor-bike riders apparently lost at road junctions. Most often, they have to stop by to ask the direction to their destinations. This is because most junctions in the capital city do not have road signs indicating the way to different neighbourhoods and important public places. But this is no longer the case in certain neighbourhoods were the streets were recently resurfaced by Egyptian construction giant, Arab Contractors.

In the Damase, Nsimeyong, Tam-Tam Weekend, Rond Point Express, Biyem-Assi and the Montée Maison Blanche neighourhoods, the streets have not only been resurfaced with asphalt, but new road signs have been introduced. It is now common to find well-marked zebra crossings for pedestrians, sign posts for taxi ranks or stops for picking up or dropping off passengers, non-parking sections and where to slow down. Perhaps, the most significant of the street signs are those on the approach to major junctions, indicating which road leads to what neighbourhood. This was hitherto absent in these parts of Yaounde, just like in many other areas in the city.

According to Tchinda Robert, a commercial motor-bike rider in Damase, people arriving the area for the first time are now able to find their way from the junction; unlike in the past when such signs did not exist. Abena Julia, a nurse with a pharmacy at Chapelle Nsimeyong Roundabout says the new street signs have significantly reduced accidents and unnecessary gridlocks. She explains that in the past, it was difficult for school children to cross the ever-busy junction unaided, but today, this has been made possible by the zebra crossings.
Loyim Jean, a Nsimeyong-based teacher, thinks that the road signs are rather too many. He says the street is quite narrow, and with many signs, it is difficult to find safe parking space in order to avoid provoking the ire of traffic officials of the Yaounde City Council. He also wonders how many Cameroonians are conversant with Highway Code signs, suggesting that there is need for awareness campaigns on the part of the City Council. — Source :