AMA To Address Reckless Parking Of Cargo Truck Operators

Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo - Greater Accra Regional Minister

Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo - Greater Accra Regional Minister The Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) will soon come out with innovative and proactive measures to address “irritating” activities of heavy cargo trucks which park along roads at Makola and Tudu,Central Accra, to offload and pick goods.

Numo Blafo III, Public Relations Officer of the AMA, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday, described the activities of the truck operators and other road users who carelessly obstruct vehicular movement on the road as worrying.

He blamed shop owners who patronised the services of the truck operators, saying the drivers parked directly in front of the shops to either offload or load goods instead of parking at the bus stop designated for such purposes.

Numo Blafo III said their careless parking created further congestion for other road users, particularly for trotro and taxi drivers, who take undue advantage to pick passengers in the middle of the road.

He said because the truck operators occupied the road for 'brief' periods it was difficult to stop them.

“They do these in the market places and it is very difficult for us to tell them to stop,” he said.

Numo Blafo III gave the assurance that the management of AMA would soon be informed to chart a lasting solution to the problem.

GNA checks at the Central Business District, particularly Makola and Tudu, revealed that some trotro drivers stopped in the middle of the road to pick passengers.

Other taxi drivers were seen deliberately moving at a snail’s pace looking for passengers.

Some of the drivers were spotted parking recklessly by the side of the road with their trunks opened (car boot) to pick passengers and goods.

With the pedestrian walkways almost taken over by displayed goods and wares, hawkers and traders were seen occupying a better part of the road.

The human traffic congestion was unpleasant to experience as some had to squeeze themselves pass the parked goods and vehicles, hawkers, traders as well as shop attendants spotted busily helping to offload goods.