Beposo residents demand speed ramps as pedestrian knockdown escalates

Residents of Beposo in the Shama District of the Western Region have appealed to the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) to, as a matter of urgency, construct speed ramps to slow down vehicles and save lives.

According to the residents, the current spate of accidents and pedestrian knockdowns required immediate action as many had lost their lives in an attempt to cross the road.

They attributed the ugly development to the absence of speed ramps or ramble strips at the old toll booth structure.

Mr Isaac Adane Boakye, Assembly Member for the Area, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said when the old toll booth was functional, drivers slowed down, allowing pedestrians and traders to go about their activities safely.

However, the relocation of the Toll Booth from Bepose to Badukrom had resulted in many drivers refusing to slow down, a situation that made residents live in fear, he said.

Mr Boakye said the unavailability of road signs and reflectors at the old toll booth made driving difficult and called for the immediate demolishing of the booth to prevent any accident.

“The old toll booth structure needs to be pulled down. It is serving no purpose. It has been blocking the view of drivers. We have made several attempts for the structure to be pulled down but to no avail,” he said.

“Many innocent lives, the majority of whom are the aged and children, have perished here.’’

Many traders within the District who converged at Beposo Market every Tuesday and Friday to do business also expressed worry about the situation as it posed a serious threat to their safety and livelihoods.

Nana Egyir, the Chief of Beposo, and his elders shared the same sentiments and appealed to the Ghana Highways Authority to immediately demolish the old toll booth structure and construct speed ramps to salvage the situation.