A joint traffic police unit carried out the first stepped-up checks this Monday morning under the new rule requiring reflective vests for zémidjan motorcycle-taxi riders, along the Route des Pêches in Fidjrossè. Dozens of motorcycles were stopped within an hour.
The measure, announced a month ago by the Littoral prefecture, aims to reduce accidents involving zémidjans after several night-time collisions were reported in recent months on this poorly lit road. A warning-only tolerance period preceded this first day of actual fines.
On the ground, riders' reactions are mixed: some had already bought a vest, others say the cost is high for an activity with modest daily earnings. Zémidjan associations are asking for subsidised vest distribution, a proposal the prefecture says it is studying.
What the creator verified this Monday: the unit present at two checkpoints on the Route des Pêches, and about ten fines issued within an hour of observation. What remains to be confirmed: the exact fine amount applied and how long this stepped-up phase is expected to last.
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What remains to be confirmed: the exact fine amount applied and how long this stepped-up phase is expected to last.","bodyFormat":"html","language":"en","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T21:19:30.955Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-27T21:20:00.955Z","occurredAt":"2026-10-21T03:44:05.284Z","creator":"Prosper Adjovi","country":"BJ","region":"Littoral","hashtags":["mobility","safety"],"media":[{"type":"video","format":"mp4","mime":"video/mp4","url":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/f968c9a7-ef73-4c20-8cd2-1228eca2b283.mp4","expiresAt":null,"fileName":null,"bytes":1614761,"caption":"Illustration: night traffic at the Érevan crossroads, Cotonou (video excerpt), Adoscam, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.","thumbnailUrl":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/f968c9a7-ef73-4c20-8cd2-1228eca2b283-poster.jpg","variants":{"hls":"https://vz-a2fc2d9d-b7f.b-cdn.net/afae3f70-5fff-41ba-995f-054c91246d24/playlist.m3u8","low":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/f968c9a7-ef73-4c20-8cd2-1228eca2b283-low.mp4","high":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/f968c9a7-ef73-4c20-8cd2-1228eca2b283.mp4"},"width":1280,"height":720,"duration":15.024,"pageCount":null},{"type":"image","format":"jpg","mime":"image/jpeg","url":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/7434c0b4-d2a1-468c-8dad-7d08ffdc90e4.jpg","expiresAt":null,"fileName":null,"bytes":241735,"caption":"Illustration: a zémidjan in Cotonou, Rachad sanoussi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.","thumbnailUrl":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/7434c0b4-d2a1-468c-8dad-7d08ffdc90e4-w360.webp","variants":{"w360":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/7434c0b4-d2a1-468c-8dad-7d08ffdc90e4-w360.webp","w720":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/7434c0b4-d2a1-468c-8dad-7d08ffdc90e4-w720.webp","w1200":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/7434c0b4-d2a1-468c-8dad-7d08ffdc90e4-w1200.webp"},"width":1280,"height":960,"duration":null,"pageCount":null},{"type":"image","format":"jpg","mime":"image/jpeg","url":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/e3ed9e2f-66e2-4345-8c04-77cad6da15e8.jpg","expiresAt":null,"fileName":null,"bytes":138254,"caption":"Illustration: the Fidjrossè Calvaire crossroads, Cotonou, Adoscam, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.","thumbnailUrl":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/e3ed9e2f-66e2-4345-8c04-77cad6da15e8-w360.webp","variants":{"w360":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/e3ed9e2f-66e2-4345-8c04-77cad6da15e8-w360.webp","w720":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/e3ed9e2f-66e2-4345-8c04-77cad6da15e8-w720.webp","w1200":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/e3ed9e2f-66e2-4345-8c04-77cad6da15e8-w1200.webp"},"width":1280,"height":853,"duration":null,"pageCount":null},{"type":"audio","format":"m4a","mime":"audio/x-m4a","url":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/2836869b-2c6e-4eec-8246-bf106aa047a2.m4a","expiresAt":null,"fileName":null,"bytes":369097,"caption":"Soundscape: zémidjans in the streets of Cotonou (30 s excerpt), AfricaTube, public domain, Internet Archive / radio aporee.","thumbnailUrl":null,"variants":{"low":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/2836869b-2c6e-4eec-8246-bf106aa047a2-low.m4a","high":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/2836869b-2c6e-4eec-8246-bf106aa047a2.m4a"},"width":null,"height":null,"duration":30,"pageCount":null},{"type":"document","format":"pdf","mime":"application/pdf","url":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/8feb0303-4447-483d-8fe6-3d5835d35fa6.pdf","expiresAt":null,"fileName":null,"bytes":60395,"caption":"Urban Air Quality in Cotonou · World Bank, 2002, CC BY 3.0 IGO.","thumbnailUrl":"https://api.koxmos.com/v1/media-uploads/8feb0303-4447-483d-8fe6-3d5835d35fa6-poster-mumpja7o.jpg","variants":null,"width":1080,"height":1398,"duration":null,"pageCount":4}],"sources":[{"title":"Préfecture du Littoral, nouvelle réglementation des zémidjans","url":"https://www.prefecturelittoral.bj/reglementation-zemidjan-2026","kind":"acteurs-directs"},{"title":"Bénin Web TV, Fidjrossè : les zémidjans face au nouveau contrôle de gilets","url":"https://beninwebtv.com/fidjrosse-zemidjan-controle-gilets","kind":"presse-locale"}],"access":{"locked":false,"audience":"free","scope":"public","accountUrl":"https://koxmos.com/download","allowDownload":true},"connector":{"name":"Koxmos","url":"https://koxmos.com/mcp","transport":"streamable-http","authentication":"bearer","credential":"Private MCP key issued to a registered Koxmos account, including Free. 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