Decongest Kejetia Lorry Terminal

Kumasi, Nov. 14 GNA 96 You can describe it as chaotic, messy, deplorable, nightmarish and total confusion and you will be perfectly right.

Drivers, passengers, pedestrians, city guards, traffic wardens, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) officials and vendors are all embroiled in the daily hellish situation in lorry terminals in the Kumasi Metropolis.

It is a sordid and pathetic sight to behold everyday at the various lorry terminals as total congestion and neglect ruled the activities of those who operated at these points.

Loaded vehicles leaving and entering lorry terminals, especially the Kejetia, had to struggle and spend hours meandering in serpentine queues before they are able to drive away.

The Kejetia Lorry Terminal, which is considered to be the largest in the country, is now a shadow of itself.

Most residents of Kumasi and Ashanti Region in general had anticipated that after the much awaited rehabilitation of the terminal, things would change for the better; but alas; it is now total confusion. Apart from the shoddy works done on the roads at the terminal, which had resulted in the development of gullies, 93fish ponds=94 and =93manholes=94; the construction of high rise buildings along the entry and exit points and the perimeter of the whole terminal, have resulted in serious congestion.

What has compounded the problem is the inability of the City Authorities and the Central Government to rehabilitate and develop the other lorry terminals in the Metropolis.

The Asafo Neoplan Station, Race Course Lorry Station and a host of others in the Metropolis are in such a deplorable state that one sometimes wondered whether they belonged to somebody.

It is sad to note that, transport operators and drivers' unions in the Region had kept mute over the situation and pretended that, everything was well with them. One might not blame them much. May be they had on several occasions complained to the Authorities but to no avail.

The congestions and deplorable nature of lorry terminals in Kumasi have not only given cause for illegal parking and loading and off-loading but also the refusal of most drivers to load at the terminals. The situation is making it increasingly unjustifiable for the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) and Kumasi City Guards to arrest drivers, who park and pick passengers on the streets.

It is time for the authorities of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to wake up to their responsibilities and take immediate and appropriate measures to rehabilitate some of these lorry terminals and create new ones at vantage locations to ease congestion at the Kejetia. Transport unions, such as the GPRTU, Co-operative, Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA) and others should sit up and include the rehabilitation and decongestion of lorry terminals in the Metropolis in their advocacy programmes to compel the City Authorities to do the right thing.

Traffic congestion and confusion in the Kumasi Metropolis cannot be allowed to continue forever. This is not what this generation came to meet and it should not leave it like that. All stakeholders including the Police, Media, Traditional Rulers, passengers and others must support a popular and worthy crusade to ensure that lorry terminals in the Metropolis are given a facelift to ease congestion. The construction of stores at lorry stations should be discouraged. Lorry stations should be used just for that purpose. 14 Nov. 06