Traffic Hell In Kumasi

By I. K. Gyasi

Accra - The epidemic of traffic jams which appeared to be the sad lot of Accra has now afflicted Kumasi. On any of the motorable roads or streets of Kumasi, one can see long lines of vehicles of all types slowly inching their way to their various destinations.

I cannot say which road or street has the worst jam. However, those deserving dishonourable mention include the Asuyeboa-Prempeh College stretch; the Kyiripatre-Roman Hill road; the Pine Avenue-Central Post Office road; Ejisu Yard Roundabout to Asafo Market Roundabout; Georgia (Ahodwo) Roundabout to the offices of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly at Adum and from Georgia to the Asokwa Police Station; Suame Roundabout to Suame and Suame Roundabout to Old Tafo; the Old Amakom Roundabout(replaced by traffic lights) to Asawase-Akwatia Line. The most notorious roundabout is the Asafo Market Roundabout followed by Suame Roundabout.

By the standards of our country, one can say that Kumasi has some good roads. It is also a fact that we have some of the worst streets, especially those which serve as linkers. Go to Asafo, Ashanti New Town and Fanti New Town and you can understand what I mean. Visitors passing through and using the main roads think that we are in vehicular heaven.

The jam has come about partly because, as is obvious, there has been an increase in the number of private and commercial vehicles that use the roads. Big vehicles, small ones, motor cycles and bicycles claim a portion of the road for themselves. And the flow is endless on any day, especially the working days.

Occasionally, breakdowns and accidents involving two vehicles add to vehicular tie-up as repairs are carried out right there on the busy road or as the drivers involved in the accident wait for the police. Apart from the sheer number of vehicles that now use Kumasi roads and streets, one has to contend with the criminal recklessness of some commercial vehicle drivers and some private motorists.

The most impatient group are the taxi drivers, They must make the day's 'sales' for the owners of the taxis, they must make enough to buy fuel and oil. and they must manage to make a little money on the side for themselves to supplement their salaries.

Consequently, they drive recklessly, cut in front of other vehicles honk their horns endlessly at motorists waiting patiently in front of them at junctions for other vehicles to pass. Yes, they expect you to drive into danger so that they can pass like Very Important Personalities (VIPs) though they themselves might not risk their lives if placed in the same position.

Be very careful an you follow a taxi driver looking for passengers. He waves his left hand inquiringly at people standing by the road, looks in various directions and brakes suddenly, sometimes virtually in the middle of the road as soon an he catches flagging-down gesture of a potential passenger. The likelihood is that the tail-lights of his taxi may not even be working, in which cases you may not see him break unless you are extra-alert.

You will discover that among the most careful of taxi drivers are those who own their taxis, be they old or young. Next in line when it comes to reckless driving are the tro-tro drivers driving mini-buses, Their sudden stop-go movements can get on one's nerves. Tractors? They slow down vehicular movement because they move relatively slowly. Because many of then are old, they can break down any time. And many of them are without lights yet they move in the night too.

Police checks sometimes forced tractor owners to fix lights to their machines, But the Police have become slack and many of these tractors are driven about without lights, The Police can see many of such tractors all the way from near the Asokwa Police Station to Kaasi.

Some private motorists are also reckless, They are mostly young men overcome by the sensation of driving such fast and big cars as the Mercedes Benz or the BMW. They are sometimes joy-riders who have taken their parents' vehicles(with or without their permission) and gone out with friends whom they wish to impress.

Drivers employed by organisations can also be very reckless. They feel big, and drive at top speed, meandering their way through traffic as if they own the place. It is usually the case that among the most careful users of private vehicles are the elderly, the women, and people (both men and women) of a certain level of education.

They know how much sweat went into the purchase of the vehicle,s they think of the wife or husband and children at home, and of the responsibility forced on their shoulders by the very fact that they are the elders of their families. Ask any one in Kumasi to account for the traffic jams afflicting the metropolis and you are likely to hear one word: KEJETIA. And he will not be far from right.

If Kumasi is the centre from which many roads radiate in all directions nationally, Kejetia is the hub. My good friend, course mate and hall mate, Mr. A. A. Amoako of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, has captured the essence of Kejetia in his poem simply entitled Kejetia.

Part of the poem says: Kejetia, major destination of many a dream Like the rural morning sun on A driver's dewy trip into the city: Taxi, Trotro, Omnibus and Truck pushers Mark their entrance and departure here. All roads lead here, the hive and hub. Not quite still by sunlight. Mr. Amoako still lectures at the UST, and I am sure he will agree that today, the Kejetia of his poem is dead, or at least in a coma.

Owing to the slow pace at which the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Kejetia is goings, large volumes of traffic that used Kejetia have had to use other roads and streets. This has definitely worsened the situation caused by the increase in the number of vehicles in the metropolis. Whether the Kejetia problem is political (as some people think) or financial or engineering is difficult to say. Whatever the cause, it is not making Kumasi residents happy at all.

There has been so much increase in recklessness that the Police have found it necessary to direct traffic even when the traffic lights on top of UTC Hill (near A-Life supermarket opposite the new CMB building) are in perfect working order, The Police have also had to direct traffic at the Asafo Market Roundabout. When the Police are not at the UTC Hill traffic lights, there is total chaos whether the lights are working or not. As for the Asafo Market Roundabout it takes the patience of Job and the dexterity of an acrobat to use it even in the presence of the Police.

The jam is costly. Because motorists have to use just the first and second gears, it becomes costly in terms of the use of fuel and also the effect on the engine, Fuel station managers and mechanics may laugh all the way to the bank but it is no laughing matter for the vehicle owner who has to buy fuel the price of which goes up all the time.

The cost in lateness should also be considered. Lateness to work or to an appointment is not a habit worth cultivating. It is equally not good for the school-going child who has to be woken up early so that he can go to school without being late. Not to be forgotten is the real threat of falling ill due to excessive heat as well as the psychological effect of waiting in traffic and absorbing the fumes from an engine in poor condition.

I am pleading with whoever has to take the decisions on the Kejetia Project to ensure that there is no further delay as both vehicle owners and passengers suffer a great deal. I was glad to hear that certain roads and streets in Kumasi have been given out on contract for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

I do not care about the political colour of the contractors who will carry out the assignment. All that we Kumasi residents hope for is an expert execution of the projects, not shoddy work due to the fact that the contractors will be forced to pay kickbacks into party coffers or some private pockets. And speedy work too without quality being sacrificed. Kumasi is suffering.