Government has begun a dualization exercise on some major roads in the country to reduce the rate of road accidents.
The designated locations include the Accra to Takoradi road, Takoradi to Tarkwa road, Accra to Kumasi as well as Tamale to Paga roads.
The need to dualize these roads comes on the back of a gory accident at Dompoase, on the Cape Coast-Takoradi highway, which claimed at least 35 lives last Tuesday.
Speaking to the media after visiting the accident scene, the Minister for Roads and Highway, Kwasi Amoako-Attah indicated that works have begun on some of the roads as part of efforts by the government to ensure safety, improve the roads and reduce accidents significantly.
“We try to improve the road conditions. Safety measures are being taken. If you look at this stretch, it is one of the best roads in our country. This road is earmarked for dualization. Accra, Takoradi, even to continue to Tarkwa. We are currently dualizing part of the central corridor. If you talk about the central corridor, we are talking about the road from Accra, through Kumasi to Tamale to Paga.
“These are all plans that we are working on and they are at various stages of implementation. If you dualize roads fatal accidents will reduce significantly,” he said in the address to the media.
The Minister noted, however, that the large chunk of the reasons why accidents occur on these roads is as a result of the negligence of commercial vehicle drivers who do not obey road safety measures.
According to Mr Amoako-Attah, while his Ministry in collaboration with the National Road Safety Authority as well as the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service are doing their part to reduce the rate of ghastly accidents, drivers are not fulfilling their part.
He stated that the recklessness of a number of drivers can be seen to be the main reason for the needless loss of lives on the country’s roads.
“The government does not wish that we lose even a single soul of a Ghanaian on any part of our roads. We try to improve the road condition, we provide various kinds of road furniture, road safety measures are being taken, so I would want to appeal to our drivers that no matter the excellent work that my Ministry will do in terms of providing excellent road infrastructure in our country,
‘No matter the excellent work that will be done by the road safety authority and the ministry of transport, no matter the excellent work that the police under MTTD will be doing if at the end of the day the drivers don’t change their attitude, and continue to drink to drive and continue to overtake at areas that do not permit overtaking, and continue to disregard road signs, unfortunately, this country will continue to these problems,’ he said to ABC News.
Source: ABCNewsgh.com