The MTTU and Ghana Traffic

Moving by car on Accra road is just terrible! The roads of Accra have become the territory of lawless, rough on the steering wheel, self style macho men ready to cross and fight out of their vehicles. Articulators and fuel tankers show off size and muscles; intimidating cars and small vehicles, the use of side roads and bushes just to get in first creating gigantic traffic jams.

This confusion is compounded by the presence of broken down vehicles left for days to their faith without anyone bothering whether they pose a danger and the obvious obstruction of traffic.

At least in the last few weeks, no sign of the MTTU officers on the scene, a sign of complete abandonment of the traffic regulation as if to say good luck to the people who manage to get out unhurt or un-bashed. It is very interesting driving on the new George Bush motorway; just a few hundred meters approaching the Shopping mall junction requires 45 minutes of driving drive time and no sign of Police in sight to direct or manage the traffic.

Another sorry sight is the Accra Tema motorway, a complete Far West stretch of road where you struggle to enter and might not get out alive just checking the list of what you are most likely to meet: Drivers at slow speed badly driving on the inner speed lane, vehicles without rear light, potholes of incredible sizes (tv’s Sefa style), vehicles inverting drive just in the middle of the stretch, streets lights that hardly works, people crossing in the dark wearing dark dresses and walking as if they are window shopping.

Other eminent sights on the motorway at night include cars being towed in the night without any warning signs including rear lights being driven at ridiculously slow speed in the inner lane, sometimes using ropes. Forklifts and dumpers and tractors happily cruising at 10km/h will not be missed also; and in all this ask me what is the police doing? Simple, some patrol cars drive in the opposite direction using the side road and blinding the drivers with high lights!!

Enough I think, for just being a simple driver/commuter but on some roads driving has become as risky as cruising in a war zone.

Whoever is in authority ought to stop all this as soon as possible for many people are at risk.