Traffictech: We’ve written to road sector agencies to fix all road markings – NRSA

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) says it has written to road sector agencies, including the Department of Urban Roads and the Ghana Highway Authority, to ensure that faded and missing road markings across the country are fixed. The Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, said the Authority had issued compliance notices to the agencies and expected them to take steps to address the concerns in the coming days. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, November 4, during a discussion on Ghana’s road safety blueprint, Mr Amaliba said the NRSA, as a regulator, did not directly undertake road infrastructure works but had the mandate to ensure that the responsible agencies complied with road safety requirements. “Now, on the road markings, we have written to the road sector agencies. As a regulator, we don’t fix the road infrastructure. As a regulator, we issue compliance notices, and we have done that,” he said. He said that the road markings would be restored as part of ongoing road improvement works ahead of Ghana’s 70th anniversary celebrations next year. “So we are going to see in the coming days that all these road markings are going to be done. Don’t also forget that we are resurfacing the roads towards next year’s 70th anniversary. All those roads will be marked. The speed limit will be clearly stated,” he said. Mr Amaliba warned that the NRSA would closely monitor the road agencies to ensure that they address the concerns, adding that the law allowed the Authority to take legal action against them if they failed to act. He disclosed that he had written another letter to the agencies on Tuesday, November 3, highlighting concerns about road markings and street lighting, urging them to take the necessary steps to fix the problems. “I’ve written a letter to them again just yesterday, saying that there are concerns about the road markings, there are concerns about the street lighting, and they must take steps to fix them. Otherwise, the law even allows me to go to court against them,” he said. On concerns about faulty traffic lights, the NRSA Director-General explained that the responsibility for their installation and maintenance depended on whether they were located on urban roads or highways. He said the Department of Urban Roads was responsible for traffic lights within urban areas, while the Ghana Highway Authority handled those located along highways. Mr Amaliba said that highways passing through towns remained the responsibility of the Ghana Highway Authority and were not automatically handed over to the Department of Urban Roads. “For instance, the N1 coming from Aflao through to Accra, towards Kumasi, that is a highway, and that is for Highways to fix the traffic lights in those areas. But where it is strictly in town, that’s for Urban Roads to fix,” he explained. Responding to concerns that road markings, street lighting and traffic light problems had persisted for years despite repeated complaints, Mr Amaliba said the NRSA had consistently engaged road sector agencies since he assumed office. He cited several interventions he said had been secured through his engagements with the relevant agencies to improve safety for pedestrians and motorists. One example was the installation of a zebra crossing near the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) to help students cross the road safely. He said the Department of Urban Roads had also extended the pedestrian walkway from the institution towards the Police Headquarters because of the narrow nature of the road. “If you have driven towards the GIJ, you will see that there’s now a zebra crossing for the students. It is through my effort that I got Urban Roads to do that,” he said. “Urban Roads have not just ended there. They have expanded it, and I have created a walkway from GIJ heading towards the Police Headquarters for the students to pass through because that place is narrow. And so you must create a walkway for them.” He also mentioned interventions on the Accra-Kumasi highway around the River Birim, where he said he engaged the Ghana Highway Authority to repair damaged guardrails and install rumble strips to slow down vehicles approaching the river. Mr Amaliba further cited engagements with road agencies to introduce speed-calming measures along the Sumbungu Road in the Upper East Region. He said the NRSA continued to write to the relevant agencies whenever road safety concerns came to its attention. However, he explained that the latest engagement was different because the concerns over road markings and other safety infrastructure were widespread and required a nationwide response. “But this one is because it’s massive, and because it is a rollout nationwide, I have decided to write to them again specifically on traffic tech,” he said.