Police to check speeding on Accra roads
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service will soon introduce the use of speed gun on roads in Accra to track down motorists who drive beyond acceptable speed limit.
The move forms part of efforts by the AMA and the MTTD to drastically reduce road fatalities in the capital.
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The Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, who announced this last Monday in Accra, said the assembly would soon embark on a training exercise for the MTTD personnel on the use of the speed device prior to the implementation of the road safety exercise.
He was speaking at a stakeholder meeting which brought together stakeholders such as traditional heads of the various communities under the AMA jurisdiction and the media to discuss the successes chalked by the assembly and the challenges facing it.
Road accidents
Mr Sowah noted that in spite of the staggering records of road accidents, drivers and pedestrians were not concerned about their safety when using major roads in Accra.
“Road accident is a major problem in Accra and there is the need for us to pay much attention to it; unfortunately pedestrians suffer the most as a result of road accidents,” he stated.
He observed that a 2018 data compiled by the MTTD revealed that the number of persons killed through road traffic accidents in the country rose from 2,076 in 2017 to 2,341 in 2018.
Besides, he said most drivers were involved in what he described as “hit-and-run,” a situation which he attributed to the indiscipline on the part of both drivers and pedestrians.
He, therefore, urged individuals not only to be mindful of crossing the road at wrong intersections but also report incidents of hit-and-run to the police.
Education
Highlighting the AMA’s commitment in the area of education, Mr Sowah said although his administration had a challenge of insufficient funding, the assembly had managed to complete the construction and rehabilitation of 10 schools within its jurisdiction.
The schools, he said, included the La Bawaleshie school, Sempe Cluster of Schools, a 30-unit classroom block located at Jamestown, the St Joseph Anglican Cluster of Schools which has a three-storey 18-unit classroom block and the Ayalolo Cluster of Schools.
Sanitation
On AMA’s efforts to ensure that Accra became the cleanest city in Africa by 2020, Mr Sowah said his office was considering significant interventions to make the vision a reality.
“The President will not sleep on this promise and I can confidently say that in terms of solid and liquid waste, we have excess capacity to handle it.
“With the aid of partners, the metro has constructed 1,205 household toilets to curb the problem of open defecation in the country,” he added.
He urged the media to educate the public on the menace of polluting the environment to ensure that the promise was achieved by 2020.
On the issue of waste management, he noted that the assembly had provided sanitation facilities for 23 basic schools at Osu, Independence Avenue, Korle Gonno, Mamprobi and Accra New Town communities.
“In the bid to reduce waste burning and ensure segregation and proper disposal of waste, the metro has distributed 100 waste bins to residents of the Ngleshi and Mudor Electoral of the Ashiedu Keteke Sub-metro,” he stated.