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01.09.2008 General News

Urban Roads To Reduce Traffic Congestion

By Daily Guide
Urban Roads To Reduce Traffic Congestion
01.09.2008 LISTEN

THE DEPARTMMENT of Urban Roads (DUR) in collaboration with the Ministries of Transportation and Local Government, Rural Development and Environment is to implement an ambitious Urban Transport Project (UTP) to reduce traffic congestion in some major cities of the country.

Under the project, the DUR will introduce a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system using larger buses with the performance and characteristics of a modern rail-based transit system, to allow fast, comfortable and cost-effective mass movement of commuters through selected routes to and from their destinations.

The Acting Director of DUR, I.K. Mensah told the media last Friday that the BRT, which is operated in cities like Bogotá, Curitiba, Ottawa and recently Lagos, would be piloted from Mallam through the Graphic Road to the Central Business District of Accra and would subsequently be replicated in Tema and Kumasi.

According to him, the full implementation of the project would cost $95million and is being sponsored by four groups including the World Bank, which is providing $45million; Global Environment Facility (GEF), $7million; Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), $27million and the Government of Ghana, $16million.

It is expected that larger buses would operate a scheduled service along exclusive BRT lanes in the median of the road and the existing trotros would be assisted to reform their operations within a reformed regulatory environment to provide feeder bus services along a proposed eleven feeder lines of the system.

Mr. Mensah said the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue-Mallam road would be redesigned to provide a two-lane exclusive bus-way in the median for the buses to ply on to reduce travel time from one hour to 25 minutes and attract 10,000 passengers during the peak hour.

The Team Leader of the Project Advisory Office of the UTP, Ludwig Hesse, who demonstrated how the system runs, said the redesigning of the road is expected to be completed by the end of year for the successful take-off of the project.

He noted that the population of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area will double in 15 to 25 years, therefore it is important to have a transportation system which would be environmentally friendly and also help reduce traffic in the main cities.

He indicated that the BRT provides clear route maps, signage and real information display digital technology which improves convenience, speed, safety and reliability.

By Awudu Mahama

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