The Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has warned residents living along major highways to stop constructing unauthorised speed ramps, saying the practice is putting motorists at risk and damaging roads.

According to him, some of the speed ramps being constructed by residents are excessively large and unsuitable for highways, where vehicles travel at higher speeds.

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Agbodza said that while residents may be trying to slow down speeding motorists and protect communities, taking the law into their own hands could create a bigger safety problem.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the Wa–Han–Tumu Road, the Minister described the practice as a nationwide problem that could affect the quality and lifespan of road infrastructure.

“It is a nationwide problem, so we need to encourage our people along highways to stop doing that because they basically damage the road. Highways will build speed-calming features on the roads. I am not sure whether it will be this unhealthy and threatening speed ramps or they will have other, more humane ways of doing it, because I told them the huge speed ramps don’t work well for a highway, so we should find other ways,” he said.

“It is also important for motorists to drive within the speed limit on various sections of the road. I think that is part of the reason people are taking the law into their own hands. So, we are going to appeal to people living along the highways to desist from building their own speed ramps,” he added.

Agbodza assured residents that where speed control is necessary, the appropriate authorities would install approved traffic-calming measures.

He said the Ghana Highway Authority would assess areas where speeding poses a danger to communities and introduce measures that are suitable for highways.

The minister also appealed to motorists to respect speed limits, arguing that responsible driving would reduce the pressure on residents to construct their own speed ramps.

He stressed that road safety was a shared responsibility and urged communities to work with the relevant authorities rather than altering highways themselves.

The warning comes amid concerns over the growing practice of residents installing large concrete ramps on highways in an attempt to force motorists to slow down.

NA/AM