Police condemn unauthorised speed ramps

The Volta Regional Police Command has cautioned communities along highways to desist from unilaterally digging across streets to force drivers to lower their speed.

Miss Rose Bio Atinga, Regional Commander, said the police would ensure that drivers drove within the speed limits in towns.

She was speaking at a forum attended by chiefs, elders and opinion leaders of some communities along the highways, officials of the Ghana Highway Authority, Road Safety Commission and Police Officers in Ho on Thursday.

The forum, held under the aegis of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), was to brainstorm on ways to stop the growing phenomenon of towns and villages along the highways either digging trenches across the streets or creating other impediments to check speed of vehicles.

During discussions community leaders said they had written several letters to the Ghana Highway Authority to inspect and provide speed rumps to reduce the spate of speeding vehicles hitting and killing or maiming their compatriots without answer and so acted on their own.

Professor C Dorm-Adzobu, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences who was speaking on behalf of the Gbefi community on the Hohoe/Accra highway, blamed the phenomenon on the inaction of the authorities responsible for managing the roads.

“We only want to save time digging graves to bury our people killed by speeding vehicles by digging trenches to stop the vehicles from zooming through the community,” he said.

Many speakers complained about the apparent laxity of the Road Safety Commission, some claiming they had not heard about that commission for a long while.

Mr Elvis Gbesemete, Volta Regional Manager of the Commission, said though his outfit was constrained by operational challenges it was on the ground, is linked up from Ho to all the districts and actively working with the police and road transport associations to educate road users on safe practices.

Mr Kwame Korankye-Adjei, Volta Regional Highway Authority Director, said the unauthorized rumps in form of trenches were very expensive to repair, promising that the Authority would do all within its means to meet the safety needs of the communities.

Mr John Arthur-Amissah, Road Area Manager, said the decision to construct speed rumps was normally based on studies which took into consideration many issues.

Some obstructions on the streets could be dangerous to pregnant women and the sick, he said.

Mr Isaac Amenyo, who represented the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), conceded that many drivers were unschooled in road signs and therefore ignorant of regulations governing road use.

Mr Steve Selormey, Volta Regional Coordinating Director who presided, pleaded with the Highway Authority to liaise with the communities to stop the practice.

He also called on the Road Safety Commission to make itself and works more evident.