Public Safety Makes Disturbing Developments' About Accra-Tema Motorway

The Executive Director for the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has expressed worry over the Accra-Tema Motorway, one of Ghana’s most patronised roads, which has been plagued by severe and deadly motor accidents since its construction in 1965.

In a statement obtained by Myjoyonline, Nana Yaw Akwada said that a survey his agency conducted revealed “very disturbing developments” along the 19-kilometre stretch that links Accra and Tema, a city that sits on the Atlantic Coast of Ghana.

Poor urban planning and meagre design development are leading to tragic deaths – both for motorists and pedestrians, Akwada cites about the highway, also known as the Kwame Nkrumah Motorway. Therefore, he is imploring the government to do the following:

1) Reclassify the motorway to be reflected as an urban highway and accessorize it with traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, bus stops to allow for arterial and local roads to link.

2) Redefine with immediate effect the buffer zone along the motorway and remove (or relocate) all encroachers; be it State or private facility.

3) Provide effective year-long demarcation systems with an associated maintenance program to combat the high volume of traffic.

4) Provide police patrol services dedicates solely to enforce on speeding and other traffic violations in addition to implementing security services for broken down vehicles.

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According to numbers culminated in 2008 from BPS, nearly 65,000 vehicles crossed the motorway daily. Additionally, 2017 statistics disclose that car-related accidents account for the highest contributor of death in the country, compared to all public safety events, averaging seven deaths per day.

“We, therefore, implore your outfit to treat this subject with utmost urgency to prevent further carnage and needless deaths,” says Akwada.

He specifically is calling on the Ministry of Transport, the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, the Ghana Highway Authority Director and the Department of Urban Roads Media.

Dr. Edward Nari-i, Hon. Kwasi Amoako-Attah, Rev. Enoch Akwada, Hon. Aquinas Quansah and Nana Yaw Akwada serve on BPS’ Board of Directors.

—Myjoyonline