Mahama to decide on permanent Ayalolo contra-flow system after Thursday review – Ayariga

President John Dramani Mahama is expected to lead a stakeholder meeting on Thursday, October 8, to review the trial of the Ayalolo contra-flow system and determine how the initiative can be sustained permanently.

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, said the trial had recorded encouraging results, with thousands of commuters benefiting from faster movement during peak hours.

He said the President had therefore invited relevant stakeholders to review the arrangement and consider measures to make the system a permanent feature of selected routes.

“The President has convened a meeting on Thursday at 1 p.m. during which he has asked all the relevant stakeholders to discuss how to sustain the contraflow system,” Mr Ayariga said when he appeared at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, October 5.

The Ayalolo contra-flow initiative began on September 29 on major commuter corridors leading into Accra’s Central Business District as part of efforts to reduce peak-hour congestion.

The initial arrangement covered the Amasaman–Accra, Adenta–Accra and Kasoa–Accra corridors, with a fourth corridor, Pokuase–Accra, also identified in the implementation plan.

Under the system, designated lanes are temporarily configured to allow authorised Ayalolo buses to travel against the normal flow of traffic towards the peak direction.

The lanes are reserved for Ayalolo buses, with the Ghana Police Service’s Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) deployed to support traffic control and enforcement.

“We need to make sure that there are permanent features of our routes that enable the contraflow to function without the riders that we are using now, because we cannot use riders forever,” the Minister said.