Taxi drivers in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, have expressed concern about faulty traffic lights in the city.
According to the drivers, for more than six years, the main traffic light in the centre of the city has not been functioning.
A taxi driver, Emmanuel Lartey said municipal authorities have turned blind eye to the problem which is causing vehicular traffic in the business district of Sunyani.
Some of the traffic poles have been left on pavements and the electric wires pose a danger to pedestrians.
All road markings, including Zebra crossings, have faded which has increased vehicular accidents in the city.
As a result, 20 pedestrians in the first quarter of this year were knocked down by vehicles.
The drivers voiced the concerns yesterday at Sunyani Taxi Rank when the regional road safety campaign team visited them to educate them on road safety in the municipality.
According to the drivers, they cannot be blamed for the accidents because road signs and traffic lights in the city were not functioning.
The drivers called on the city authorities to fix the faulty traffic lights to prevent accidents and vehicular traffic.
As part of measures to reduce accidents in the area, the regional road safety committee, in conjunction with other stakeholders like transport organizations, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service and the Drivers’ and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) organized a walk to sensitize people on road safety. School-children held placards to educate road users on what to do when using roads during the walk.
They held placards, some of which read, ‘Be Alert, Stop for Pedestrians to Cross’, ‘Pedestrians Have The Right of Way’, ‘Use Side Walk Or Walkways Whenever Available,’ among others.
The walk, which was under the theme, ‘the Long Short Walk,’ was aimed at making the roads safe for all users, including pedestrians.
Addressing the drivers, the Fire Service Commander, Tarim Sacky advised them to always keep fire extinguishers in their cars and not the boots to help quench fire quickly.
Regional Secretary of GPRTU, Richard Yaw Amankwa appealed to his colleagues to always use seatbelts.
He also asked motorbike riders to also watch out for pedestrians, especially when cars stop for them to cross the road.
Assistant Planning Officer of Road Safety in the region, Yaw Asante Yeboah, who gave statistics about accident in the region, said a total of 140 accidents were recorded in the first quarter of this year, involving 196 vehicles. Two hundred and sixteen people sustained injuries while 109 were killed and 22 pedestrians were knocked down.
Mr. Yeboah implored both pedestrians and drivers to be careful on the roads to prevent accidents.
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