Traders take over streets of Assin Fosu

Traders in Assin-Fosu, the commercial city of the Assin Central Municipality, have moved their hawking and other trading activities from the designated markets to the streets, pavements and walk-ways.

The situation has aggravated the already chaotic human and vehicular traffic congestion in the area, the Ghana News Agency, has observed.

Pedestrians, hawkers and shoppers have overflowed the walkways, narrowing the lanes as pedestrians compete with drivers for space, a situation road users blamed on traders' indiscipline.

Among the goods displayed for sale on the pavements included second hand clothes, foodstuffs, household items, soft and alcoholic beverages.

In separate interviews with the GNA, some pedestrians expressed their frustrations about the situation, stressing that their lives were in danger.

They urged city authorities to as a matter of urgency resolve the situation before any catastrophe befalls any road user.

Madam Gladys Yeboah, a second hand cloth seller, said she was perturbed about the congestion, but was rather elated about rising sales due to the Easter festivities.

She said abandoning her shop which was located inside the market was the best decision to take and would not go back unless they were forced out of the streets.

Sadly, sanitation in the main markets at Pantuase, Dompim road and railways were nothing good to write home about.

The GNA news team also observed that gutters were chocked with solid and liquid waste.

It was disgusting to see refuse scattered all over the market while refuse containers were buried with garbage.

Traders were seen selling food stuffs, vegetables and other commodities close to gutters and in unhygienic places.

The traders blamed the rising insanitary conditions on the inability of the assembly to collect the refuse regularly and called on them to remedy the situation.