7 tricycle operators arrested in Kumasi as ban still persists

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has said it will continue to ensure the enforcement of the ban on the use of tricycles in the Central Business District (CBD).

This comes on the back of a clash involving police personnel and some tricycle operators on Tuesday, 1 August 2023.

The assembly decided on 29 April 2023, to restrict tricycle activities to certain areas around the CBD to reduce road crashes.

However, despite the restrictions, some tricycle operators have refused to adhere.

The Head of transport at KMA, Mr. Randy Wilson told Class 91.3 FM's Ashanti Regional Correspondent Elisha Adarkwah that the assembly began enforcement by educating operators in the municipality.

He noted that the enforcement was mainly more of education on their boundary and to stay within the assigned boundary.

“We did it on Monday, there was no problem and yesterday we were at the Race Course. Instead of them obeying the principle that you don’t have to come to where the zoo is or cross to where Kejetia is, they said no and then they blocked the road and that is what called for reinforcement by the security officers,” Mr Wilson stated.

He explained that when the police got to the scene, the number of tricycle operators was increasing. The tricycle operators started making noise and hurled stones at the enforcement team so the security personnel sounded warning shots to disperse them.

The officers managed to arrest some of the tricycle operators, eventually.

“Yesterday, seven of them were arrested and taken to the police station and then they were granted bail yesterday and they were made ambassadors to go and speak to their people so they obey the rule that has been set,” Mr Wilson revealed.

They were also asked to write to KMA if they had any concerns and until that is done, the ban is still in force, he indicated.

Mr Wilson advised tricycle operators and commercial tricycle operators to “desist from using it into the town centre, the CBD area that has been earmarked.

“Please do not engage the activities of the tricycle operator and bring him to town,” as anybody who sits in a tricycle as a fare-paying person, contravenes the law, he appealed to individuals of the community.

If a tricycle must be used, he added, it should be done outside the radius that has been carved out for the CBG by the KMA until it is changed.

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