Ensure safety on the N1 Motorway

Accra, Feb. 27, GNA – The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) have been asked to intensify the education of road users through community-based outreach programmes and media sensitisations on pedestrians' safety facilities on the N1 George Bush Highway.

This was contained in a resolution on Friday at an emergency meeting of road safety stakeholders to deliberate on some safety issues that have emerged subsequent to the inauguration of the highway.

A statement by the NRSC Monday said it had found in course of its monitoring that some obvious pedestrian safety issues have emerged due to the re-design of the road and the challenges of adaption to the new road environment by users.

The meeting attended by the Ministry of Transport, Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Department of Urban Road (DUR), Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Accra Metropolitan Assembly, SMEC among other institutions agreed that in the medium term, the NRSC should conduct a post-opening road safety audit of the stretch to be able to advice on countermeasures required to improve the safe use of the road.

Stakeholders should consider raising the height of the physical the barriers in the median to deter pedestrians from crossing over and encourage usage of the footbridges however uncomfortable or inconveniencing they may appear.

Road Agencies should ensure that the necessary advance directional, warning and speed signs should be deployed as soon as possible.

The statement said Police MTTU should intensify its speed enforcement efforts on the road.

It said AMA should collaborate with the Road Safety Management Services Limited to clear the roadway of vehicles that parked and stopped indiscriminately or got disabled on that stretch of road while parents, school authorities and city guards should assist pedestrians especially school children to use the road during the rush hours as an interim measure.

The statement said the NRSC remained committed to its role as the lead statutory public agency charged with the responsibility to plan, promote and coordinate road safety activities and also continue to engage stakeholders on that project and others to ensure that the new ones served the collective good.

It reminded motorists of their responsibility to their own safety and urged them to be careful when they come within the road environment.

GNA