President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has waded into the issue of indiscipline on the country’s roads, and observed that the severity and frequency of accidents on our highways due to over-speeding and indiscipline are a great reproach to all of us.
The president hit the nail on its head when he stated that roads have cost the country too many lives, and it is time for motorists to respect all the rules of driving in a developing cosmopolitan environment such as Accra.
He made these far-reaching statements when he launched the newly constructed Tema Motorway Interchange last Friday.
“Better roads should be a catalyst for national development and not instruments of death and pain,” is a quote that resonates deeply with us in our part of the world, and it is high time we recognised that roads are not death sentences but rather meant to convey us expeditiously from one place to another.
We have also observed the manner in which streetlights are being restored on the Accra-Tema motorway, and it is our fervent hope that this will not be a nine-day wonder. Too often, we spend large sums of money to restore lighting on the motorway only for ‘vandals’ to stealthily make away with the copper wiring and desecrate the entire stretch of motorway.
Apart from unnecessary over-speeding, the absence of streetlights on the motorway is partly responsible for the high rate of vehicular accidents recorded on that stretch. Poor visibility coupled with the inappropriate use of high-lights account for many accidents on the motorway, and it is refreshing to see a positive attempt to restore lighting on the motorway.
Speed cameras can be installed on portions of the Accra-Tema motorway so that the Motor and Traffic Unit of the Police Service can apprehend those who breach speed limits and fine them accordingly. The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako Atta, urged MMDAs to ensure indiscriminate erection of billboards, placing posters on footbridges, kerbs etc. are avoided.
The project was financed by the Japanese government, with an estimated US$57million earmarked. Let us justify the cost by driving responsibly and ensuring long life for the facility.
