Benin: Cycle lanes, sidewalks, sanctions… what’s new in the Highway Code

After Benin’s Parliament passed the new Highway Code, Minister Georges Alé, law commission chair Orden Alladatin and CNSR director general Ariel Sacramento presented its main measures to the press. The law replaces regulations dating from 1956 and now comprises six titles and 122 articles, compared with seven titles and 121 articles in the initial draft. It strengthens protection for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, allows sanctions for occupying sidewalks, and requires future road projects to include cycle lanes and infrastructure suited to vulnerable users. Implementing regulations have been prepared, and awareness campaigns are planned, alongside stronger road-safety education beginning in primary school.