Okada riders advocate review of LI 2180 to legalise their operations

The leadership of the Okada Riders Association is advocating for the amendment of the Legislative Instrument that criminalizes their operations as commercial entities.

This comes on the back of an alleged constant harassment by police. The Association is collating data about members nationwide to intensify its advocacy on the road traffic laws.

Road accidents involving motorcycles constitute 1.4 percent of accidents in the first half of 2024.

Attempt by the police to enforce traffic regulations have yielded little results prompting periodic crackdown on commercial motorcycles.

But members of the Okada Riders Association say the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority must rather be blamed for the road accidents as it issues riders with license without the requisite training.

They are of the firm conviction that training and certifying the riders before issuing them with license will drastically reduce the road infractions.

Section 128 (1), (2) and (3) of Road Traffic Regulations 2012 LI 2180, prohibits the use of a motorcycle or tricycle also referred to as ‘Okada’ for commercial purpose.

As a result, the Association is embarking on a data collection drive of members across the country to inform their advocacy.

The two months exercise has been zoned and data collected will feed into a centralized system.

President of the Okada Riders Association is confident of sanitizing the system after all members have been captured.

He told members that “your Ghana card details are required before you are issued with the Association’s identification card. This will enable us deal with members who flout traffic regulations.”

“If you are not ready to obey the motor traffic laws, we will deliberately sack you from the Association,” another executive said.

The Association has meanwhile constituted a disciplinary committee to deal members who blatantly flout traffic regulations.

The Okada business is estimated to be providing direct income to more than eight hundred thousand youth in Ghana.

The post Okada riders advocate review of LI 2180 to legalise their operations first appeared on 3News.

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