Commentary on developments in the road transport sub-sector

There has never been any shred of doubt that the development process of any society and for that matter the country hinges on the smooth and effective movement of people using difference means of transportation. 

Ghana, like any other country requires effective means of transportation to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services.  

At the core of every country's development agenda is the transport sector.  

The 2008 National Transport Policy emphasized among others that the transport sector should aim at meeting the needs of transport users and also under pin the sectoral policies for trade, industry, agriculture, energy and tourism.

When it comes to the issue of policy documents for development, Ghana could easily get the bragging rights.  

The problem, however, is that the implementation of such laudable ideas never get started, let alone think of their monitoring and evaluation.   

Yesterday, Ghanaians were asked to observe a novelty National Road transport Day.  The day sought to among others draft high profile personalities to use Public Transport or more specifically, the popular “tro tro” to and from their work places.  This way, public officials will come face to face with the harrowing experience that the ordinary worker and other commuters go through to keep the wheel of progress running.  

Are we for once suggesting that our policy makers do not know the problems associated with public transportation?  Should it take the declaration of a Day to bring them into the lime light?   

It is time radical but effective measures are adopted to address the problems bedeviling the public transportation system once and for all.

Talking about these problems, it is also worth mentioning traffic congestion and poor road network in the suburbs particularly in the capital city Accra and the use of rickety vehicles as militating against an effective public transportation.  Some of the vehicles in the public transport pool are so bad that literally, a passenger needs special prayers to safely get to his destination.  The slightest mistake will see the passenger in a hospital.  Hopefully our VIPs had the opportunity to use some of these vehicles.  

The media has time without number high-lighted the dangers such vehicles pose to the traveling public.  There have been talk of clearing them from the roads, but  a ride on routes like Circle-Kaneshie-Mallam, Circle La-Apapa and Circle Teshie-Nungua will bring the picture home vividly.  As for the roads, the least said about them the better.  

The National Road Transport Day should not be an occasion for publicity or fun fair but a time to demonstrate our real commitment towards tackling the core problems in the transport sector.  

Let us see concrete action beyond the day.  For instance, when the day is being observed next year, let it be said that there are no rickety vehicles plying  any of the country's roads. The other side of the issue is that, getting rid of such vehicles means denying some people their livelihood. One way to encourage owners of such vehicles to give them up is to provide them with soft loans to procure new ones.

The Ministers in charge of Roads and Transport could help by starting negotiations with financial institutions to work out a better package for owners of such rickety vehicles better described as 'coffins on wheel.  

The Mass public Transport should be strengthened with high occupancy buses. On the issue of traffic congestion, especially to the Central Business District of Accra and the industrial areas, there is the need to revisit the proposal to create terminals at the major entry points to the city, where only large occupancy buses should convey the people into the city centre to transact their business.  

Infact, the contribution of a safe and reliable public transport system to accelerate socio-economic activities is a key factor to attaining a Middle Income Status by 2015.

That is why the Public Road Transport Sub-Sector must be given the needed inputs to live up to expectation.

BY: BRIGHT AGAMA, JOURNALIST-GBC