|
Police condemn unauthorised speed ramps
Ho, Feb 12, GNA - The Volta Regional Police Command has
cautioned communities along highways to desist from
unilaterally digging across streets to force drivers to
lower their speed.
Miss Rose Bio Atinga, Regional Commander, said the police
would ensure that drivers drove within the speed limits in
towns.
She was speaking at a forum attended by chiefs, elders and
opinion leaders of some communities along the highways,
officials of the Ghana Highway Authority, Road Safety
Commission and Police Officers in Ho on Thursday.
The forum, held under the aegis of the Volta Regional
Coordinating Council (VRCC), was to brainstorm on ways to
stop the growing phenomenon of towns and villages along the
highways either digging trenches across the streets or
creating other impediments to check speed of vehicles.
During discussions community leaders said they had written
several letters to the Ghana Highway Authority to inspect
and provide speed rumps to reduce the spate of speeding
vehicles hitting and killing or maiming their compatriots
without answer and so acted on their own.
Professor C Dorm-Adzobu, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and
Social Sciences who was speaking on behalf of the Gbefi
community on the Hohoe/Accra highway, blamed the phenomenon
on the inaction of the authorities responsible for managing
the roads.
“We only want to save time digging graves to bury our people
killed by speeding vehicles by digging trenches to stop the
vehicles from zooming through the community,” he said.
Many speakers complained about the apparent laxity of the
Road Safety Commission, some claiming they had not heard
about that commission for a long while.
Mr Elvis Gbesemete, Volta Regional Manager of the
Commission, said though his outfit was constrained by
operational challenges it was on the ground, is linked up
from Ho to all the districts and actively working with the
police and road transport associations to educate road users
on safe practices.
Mr Kwame Korankye-Adjei, Volta Regional Highway Authority
Director, said the unauthorized rumps in form of trenches
were very expensive to repair, promising that the Authority
would do all within its means to meet the safety needs of
the communities.
Mr John Arthur-Amissah, Road Area Manager, said the decision
to construct speed rumps was normally based on studies which
took into consideration many issues.
Some obstructions on the streets could be dangerous to
pregnant women and the sick, he said.
Mr Isaac Amenyo, who represented the Progressive Transport
Owners Association (PROTOA), conceded that many drivers were
unschooled in road signs and therefore ignorant of
regulations governing road use.
Mr Steve Selormey, Volta Regional Coordinating Director who
presided, pleaded with the Highway Authority to liaise with
the communities to stop the practice.
He also called on the Road Safety Commission to make itself
and works more evident.
GNA
|
