Ama to Introduce Speed Control Measures in Accra

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced plans to introduce speed control measures to prevent road traffic accidents in the metropolis.

The Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, disclosed this when he joined the rest of the world on Sunday, 19th November, 2017, to commemorate The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) - in memory of the people killed and injured on the our roads.

The special Remembrance Day, is intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering and also become an important tool for governments and those who work to prevent crashes or respond to the aftermath.

Mr Sowah said the Assembly in collaboration with the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, Ghana National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and other road agencies would soon put in place speed control measures to reduce pedestrian and car collisions especially at the Lapaz intersection of the George Walker Bush Highway (N1 Highway) to ensure the safety of both drivers and pedestrians.

"We are today standing at the location of change on the N1Highway. Assessments on pedestrian numbers, traffic lights signal timings, kerb height and impacts on pedestrians, among other indicators of all road users' safety, have been carried out. High level discussions have also been concluded with all road agencies who have responsibilities for enhancing road safety have been concluded. Speed control measures to reduce pedestrian and car collisions at this Lapaz Intersection will be introduced," he said.

Mr Sowah further disclosed that the Assembly and The Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD), with support from Bloomberg, would increase enforcement activities to deter drivers from drinking and driving during the festive season adding that "Motorbike riders and their passengers will not have free reign this Christmas to ride without their helmets and not obey traffic signals."

He gave the assurance that the AMA and all partners would work hard to ensure that December 2017 to January 2018 would be the safest on the streets of Accra.

Mrs Eugenia May Obiri-Yeboah, Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, in a statement, pledged the determination of her NRSC to intensify its educational campaigns on road safety and urged other stakeholders to play their part to end the killing of innocent people on our roads.

"Each of us has a part to play. We, from the National Road Safety Commission, have a duty to educate all pedestrians and road users ... even as we go out from here, our education would be intensified to ensure that people live to see 2018," she said.

Christine Evans-Klock, UN Resident Co-ordinator in Ghana, urged government to ensure that the necessary equipment and human resource were provided to enforce road traffic laws and rules to help reduce the number of casualties recorded on the roads.

"A 5% cut in how fast we drive can result in a 30% reduction in road traffic crashes fatalities. Traffic laws and rules exist; those with authority to enforce them need the equipment and manpower to do that job. We need to change a culture of complacency, we don't have to accept the roads are hazardous," she said.

Source: ISD (Gilbert Ankrah )

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