Controversial road towing levy to be implemented by Sep 1
The Parliamentary Committee on Roads and Transport has recommended to the government to go ahead with the contract it signed with a private company for the towing of break-down and abandoned vehicles on the roads.
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The Chairman of the committee, Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye, told journalists on Tuesday that the execution of the contract, signed in 2016, would ensure that break-down vehicles were cleared from the roads to ensure the safety of motorists.
The government, acting through the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), signed the agreement with the Roads Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSC) on October 16, 2016 for the towing of break-down and abandoned vehicles.
The road map for the implementation of the project is contained in the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
Stakeholder discussions
Mr Ayeh-Paye said the committee held discussions with stakeholders in the transport sector before arriving at that decision.
He said the committee had forwarded its recommendation to the Minister of Transport and indicated that the minister had the liberty to go by the recommendation or not, since the request was not referred to the committee by the Speaker of Parliament but the minister himself.
He, however, cautioned that any attempt to abrogate the contract might result in the country paying judgement debt to the private company, a development which would not be good for the country.
He said the contract was subject to renewal after five years of its implementation.
Mr Ayeh-Paye said the operator had divided the country into zones for easy operation, adding that motor riders had been engaged to monitor the trunk roads in all the zones and report any abandoned or disabled vehicle to the zone operator for immediate action.
He said the operator would retain 85 per cent of the contract sum and indicated that 2.5 per cent of the 85 per cent contract sum would go to the National Ambulance Service and another 2.5 per cent to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to serve as premium to cater for accident victims.
He said the suspension of the implementation of the Road Traffic Regulation was as a result of inadequate education on the regulations.
Mr Ayeh-Paye said the committee had, therefore, tasked the NRSC and other stakeholders to embark on two to three weeks’ education before the start of the programme in September this year.
Minister’s reaction
When reached for his comments, the Transport Minister, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, said the government was yet to take a decision on the matter.
He said the recommendations of the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament was the outcome of broader stakeholder engagements that the government set in motion after the suspension of the implementation of the towing levy scheduled for July 1, this year.
He said the engagement of stakeholders was ongoing and suggestions from all stakeholders would inform the way forward.
Mr Asiamah said the Roads and Transport Committee was a major stakeholder in the consultation process and urged all to make inputs for consideration by the government.