Towing Levy- The Way Forward

The government has decided not to go ahead to implement the controversial mandatory towing levy that has sparked public outrage in recent weeks.

It means that the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180 (Road Traffic Regulations, 2012) which in Regulation 102 (3) was going to impose a mandatory levy on all owners and persons in charge of motor vehicles, for the purposes of towing  broken down or disabled vehicles on roads cannot be enforced.

The Ministry of Transport's announcement sounds refreshing and it is an indication that the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is prepared to accommodate dissenting views and also listen to concerns of the public.

However, we should not gloss over the fact that broken down or disabled vehicles on our highways continue to cause needless accidents some of which are deadly, losing precious human lives in the process.

We give kudos to all the parties who campaigned vigorously for and against the implementation of the controversial policy but we believe the debate must not end here. In fact, we should all be interested in getting the government to initiate and implement a policy that will help curb the carnage on our roads.

Already the Minister of Transport has indicated that upon wider consultations, the government has decided to seek a review of parts of the law and has said specifically that the portion of the law that states the concept of a mandatory towing levy on all owners and persons in charge of motor vehicles and trailers will be rescinded. The ministry has also said the role of government in the provision of towing services will be limited to only licensing and regulating providers. That's good news but the experience of Road Safety Management Services should not be glossed over as the government may need to sit with them for the way forward having acquired sophisticated modern equipment for towing services.

The new modalities for dealing with the problem of broken down or disabled vehicles will be formulated and announced in due course, according to the sector Minister.

We believe that a better design of the policy would encourage the public to support it. All we are asking is for the government not to rest on its oars but work out without delay, the modalities it has promised the public. We believe the new policy promised by government will stand the test of time and be acceptable to everybody.

It is our hope that when the new policy comes, the performance of the various agencies responsible for providing proper road defense measures such as signage, lighting, road and pavement markings, signals and traffic control devices, as well as ensuring that the roads are safe for drivers, and pedestrians will be made to work even harder.

The country has reached a stage where we cannot afford not to bring sanity on our highways; and the time to act is now. The carnage is too much.