Road Safety officials caution traders at Circle, Kasoa
Pedestrians and hawkers who operate within the construction sites at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra and Kasoa in the Central Region have been advised to adhere to the safety rules that have been displayed by the construction engineers.
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According to the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Mrs Mary Obiri-Yeboah, that would ensure smooth operations for the engineers and also prevent accidents on the roads as motorists and pedestrians commute around the sites.
“We want to advise them to respect the rules and regulation of these construction sites and move to areas that have been earmarked for them to stay, so that people will come and buy their wares. There is no need for them to come onto the roads,” she said.
Ing Obiri-Yeboah gave the advice when she toured the project site of the three-tier interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and the 24-kilometre Western By-pass road project in Kasoa.
The visit was intended for the NRSC team to see at first hand the safety measures that have been put in place for motorists and pedestrians during and after the construction period.
At Circle, for instance, it was observed that some safety measures have been put in place to ensure easy vehicular movements as contractors work on the site.
Road signs clearly indicated parts of the roads that were not motorable, while passageways have also been created on other parts of the road to allow pedestrians to cross and move freely at the site.
Spaces have also been created under the overpass leading to Achimota for hawkers along the road to sell their wares.
The situation was, however, different in Kasoa where the project site had been cordoned off to prevent vehicles from driving there.
Pedestrians struggled alongside motorists for space, causing heavy vehicular traffic on the road.
According to the Resident Engineer of the Kasoa Bypass road project, Mr Ludwig Hesse, several attempts have been made to move the traders and hawkers to the new Kasoa market but to no avail.
“When we started the project, we cleared all those who sell on the pedestrian walkway in order to use it as a diversion to ease the traffic on the main road, but as you can see, they are back on the streets,” he said.
However, he said, with the support of the assembly and the security personnel in the area, traders would soon be moved to the new Kasoa Market to allow the main construction works to begin.
Suggestions
Sharing his thoughts on the ongoing projects, the Director General of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Angwubutoge Awuni, lauded the contractors for ensuring the safety of the passengers and the motorists.
He, however, suggested that lorry parks and market centres that were situated around the project sites be relocated to maintain the beauty of the projects when completed.
That, when done, he added, would also prevent traffic congestion and also deter people, especially the hawkers, from using the new sites as their market centres.