.

Unauthorised parking; a nuisance in Accra

Share this post

Unauthorized parking seems to be everywhere in Accra, especially in the Madina and Dome areas where there are no established parking lots.

The result has been obstruction, congestion, delays, and accidents on major roads especially during the rush hours of the day.

Drivers who drive on the roads of Accra tend to park on the sides of the road, often causing problems for both drivers and pedestrians.

At 37 adjacent to the Max Mart Shopping Mall is a bus stop. However, commercials drivers, most especially, prefer to park some few meters away from the bus stop. Some of the drivers also take over one lane of the three-lane stretch of road leading to Accra. Taxi drivers have eventually turned the bus stops into lorry stations.

Some drivers also bluntly refuse to respect road signage which read “No Parking” by parking right under them. Some passengers are partly to blame for the uncalled for attitude of some of these commercial drivers since they stand in the middle of most outer lanes to flag them.

So what has caused some of these drivers to bluntly disregard road traffic regulations to the detriment of other road users?

e.tv Ghana news has been finding out what has brought about unauthorized parking among drivers and shows how much of a challenge it is for pedestrians and drivers using these roads with unauthorized parked cars.

According to studies unauthorized parking can be due to inadequate knowledge on the Highway Code. But there seems to be more, as the problem goes beyond just the driver and the police.

Akosua Asare of e.tv Ghana spoke to the Commanding Officer of the National Mottor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Accra about the current state of unauthorized parking, what may have attributed to it and who may be responsible.

ASP Angwubutuge Awuni of the MTTU said the problem was due to the lack of parking lots for drivers in the city.

He noted that, available statistics show that there are over one million registered vehicles in the country, adding that each year, the number increases by 10 per cent.

He is of the view that the country’s city planners have failed the nation since their plans did not create room for rapid urbanisation.”

“I think that our planners have failed us and they cause the police to become a bully because the laws that are supposed to be enforced are not enforceable. If they made provision for parking lots and the drivers fail to park there, then the police have a responsibility to arrest them,” ASP Awuni says.

He adds that there is the need to expand the roads and commended government for the initiate taken to expand most of the major roads in the cities.

“We need to expand the roads. We should have had this a long time because those who planned knew that a time will come when there will be a need for it.”

By: Akosua Asare, e.tv Ghana

Share this post

• < Prev