Scores of commercial drivers who ply the Ashaiman to Kwame Nkrumah Circle road in Accra have mounted pressure on the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to immediately fix streetlights on the Accra-Tema Motorway to help curb road crashes and nocturnal activities on the road ahead of the December 7, 2016 elections.
According to the drivers, the streetlights on the Accra-Tema Motorway to curb road crashes and nocturnal activities have all been stolen by thieves.
Last Saturday, October 9, 2016 a team of reporters from Today drove along the motorway to get first-hand information on the emerging problem on the road.
The team discovered that majority of the electricity poles along the motorway had broken down and the bulbs removed by criminals.
The non-functioning streetlights on the motorway, according to many drivers who spoke to Today, give cause for motorists to panic as their lives could be endangered through road crashes.
According to them, “without the streetlights, visibility is very difficult as there are several potholes on the road.”
The drivers maintained that it would be difficult for them to stop and pick passengers along the road for fear of being attacked by criminals during the night.
The drivers, therefore, urged the government to, as a matter of urgency, install new streetlights on the Accra-Tema Motorway to prevent any form of calamity.
A commercial driver in Ashaiman, Haruna Alidu, who spoke to Today stressed “I am unable to see my way clearly even though I have light on my vehicle.”
…stray animals such as cattle and goats occasionally cross the road at the under-bridge at night so drivers’ inability to see clearly could result in crashes.
“The motorway is a speed road so nothing of that sort should be allowed on such major road. He complained that much as the authorities were interested in the collection of tolls the same seriousness should be attached to ensuring safety on the road.
He added that most drivers use the inner lane because the outer lane was full of potholes so they were calling on the managers of the motorway to remedy the situation immediately to avert any future occurrences.
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