Following yesterday’s tyre burning, blockage of the road and clash with police over another vehicle hitting and killing someone on the Madina-Adentan stretch, city guards were seen manning some of the crossing points with the police also on hand to help with traffic flow and contain any violence.
The latest casualty involved a student of the West Africa Senior High School (WASS) and according to the headmaster of WASS; Mr. Edison Osei Gyamera 6 students have so far been knocked down this academic year on the Madina-Adentan highway.
Even with the city guards and police around, some unruly drivers failed to stop on the 100km/hr speed road when asked to; so pedestrians could cross.
The Madina-Adentan stretch has 6 uncompleted footbridges requiring ramps to be attached to them since the overhead structure is already in place.
Estimates suggest nearly 200 lives have been lost on that stretch since January 2018 and despite the pleas of residents for the bridges to be worked on and open to the public, the Ghana Highways Authority had set 2019 as the year to attend to them so when another student in her 20s was hit by a speeding vehicle, residents spontaneously converged on the road erecting barriers and burning tyres.
The road opened by President Kufuor has no zebra crossing according to sources. It has taken 195 lives. Although a highway, some stretches pass through densely populated areas causing the friction.
With reckless driving rampant and a good number of the traffic lights not working, Rashid Osei Bonsu; Assembly Member for Adenta Sakora noted; at the SDA Junction, the traffic lights have been out for a considerable time inconveniencing residents.
“The Ghana Highway Authority takes the largest blame of the deaths on the road for constructing a road in such a populated area and not completing the footbridges to enhance movement,” Mr. Bonsu submitted.
With 7 Senior High Schools on the stretch, all must be done to safeguard the lives of students, the elderly and others.
Michael Eli Dokosi/goldstreetbusiness.com
