27/05/2019
URBAN TRANSPORT IN GHANA
Ghana is one of the developing countries in West Africa and falls within the Sub-Sahara. As at March 19,2019, the population of Ghana was 29,911,730 per the United Nations estimates and this is equivalent to 0.39 percent of the total world population . Ghana is a vibrant developing country with a growth rate of about 2.15 percent per annum. Accra is the capital of Ghana with a population of about 2.3 million in 2012, and it is one of the cities that cannot be left out when it comes to urban transport revolution. Accra, being Ghana’s largest administrative and economic hub, has contributed in diverse ways such as infrastructural development, provision of social amenities, human resources and so on to the growth of the economy. Since most of the economic transactions take place in Accra, it is expedient for the city to have a reliable transport network to aid in public safety, economic vitality, traffic congestion and the overall quality of life of the inhabitants.
A reliable transport network development is essential due to the concentration of high volumes of activities and the limited or inadequate road space which needs to be utilized by both vehicles and pedestrians. Recent studies concerning the traffic situation in Accra have revealed that over 50,000 vehicles (excluding motors and tricycles) per day are recorded during weekends whilst about 270,000 vehicle trips are recorded to and from the Central Business District (CBD) on weekdays (Quarshie , 2007 cited in Armah et al, 2010). These numbers of vehicles recorded on weekends and weekdays and the struggle or sharing of the inadequate road space with pedestrians contributes to some negative impact on the city . One of these effects is road or traffic congestion.
In Accra as well as other cities, traffic congestion can be attributed to some inadequacies and mishappenings such as
1. Bad attitudes of drivers, traders and pedestrians on the roads. Some drivers especially the public transport buses (trotro) load and alight passengers along the road making it difficult for the other vehicles to move. Traders who sell along the roads have occupied a lot of space meant for the movement of cars and buses, therefore narrowing the road to reduce effective movement. Pedestrians also cross the road at wrong places, ignoring zebra crossings and foot bridges
2. Malfunctioning traffic lights and invisible road signs. In Accra, it is very common to see a lot of the traffic lights not functional and the road signs either broken off or wiped away. The malfunctional traffic lights sometimes distorts the movement of vehicles on the road and causes severe traffic congestion. Also, most of these road markings over time are wiped off and ignored by most drivers.
3. Inadequate parking spaces. Most offices shops and churches along the roads either do not have parking spaces for the customers or the spaces are inadequate. These customers tend to park along the roads leading to the narrowing of the road space available.
4. Improper lane management. Some roads in the city have not been marked according to the lanes so drivers drive in any lane at all. Most drivers do not follow any particular lane and some even want to overtake others in different lanes.
5. Poor road designs. The physical capacity of roads do not match the number of vehicles using it. Most of the roads are constructed with narrow lanes and cannot contain the number of cars that uses the road. For instance, the road from Oyibi to madina is mostly congested on weekdays because the road lanes are too narrow for the vehicles.
Considering the above causes of road congestion, it surely comes with some effects. The effects of of traffic or road congestion can be categorized into four; environmental, economic, health and social.
1. Health- Emitting of harmful carbon substance causing respiratory and lung problems due to poor air quality. According to World Health Organization, air pollution is to blame for 3.2 million preventable deaths worldwide every year. The National Emmissions Inventory in 2012 said that 71 percent of air pollution in the country comes from vehicles on the road.
2. Economic inefficiency – congestion can make workers agitate for higher wages due to the traffic they must endure before getting to work. If this is not granted, workers might end up looking for new jobs. Their experiences and expertise might not be needed at where they find themselves therefore placing the right people at the wrong places
3. Increase fuel consumption and this can lead to higher transportation cost
4. Reduction in quality of life of people since they might not even get the time for social activities as most of the times are spent in traffic.
The effects are not limited to just the above mentioned ones; mental stress, delayed service deliveries and so on. However, there are alternative methods or solutions to reduce the road congestion and as such, have a look at other urban transportational systems; railway system, underground transport system (subway ), expansion of road lanes to contain the capacity of vehicles, putting deterrent measures in place such as financial penalty to drivers, traders and pedestrians who flaunt the stated rules and regulations.
Amidst all these, research has showed that the introduction of cable cars in some Sub Sahara African countries is slowly trending. In recent news, the Ministry of Transport in Ghana has also considered the introduction of these cable cars into the country and if implemented, will be of utmost help to the traffic congestion situation. The cable cars are advantageous in some ways;
1. It has a low environmental impact
2. It is quick to build (estimated less than 2 years for a line )
3. It’s safety is flawless
4. Both capital and operational Costa are relatively low
Concluding ,congestion might be good;it is an indicator that a lot of people have works they must get to. It indicates a growing and vibrant economy. John Norquist once said “ congestion is a bit like cholesterol, if you do not have any, you die. And like cholesterol, there’s a good and a bad kind”. However, with the above mentioned alternatives to road space, traffic congestion can be controlled using other systems of urban transportation.
