KMA moves to tackle driver indiscipline

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has vowed to take decisive action to stop the growing indiscipline of drivers in the city.

Mr. Osei Asibey Antwi, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), said they would no longer tolerate the situation where vehicles were parked on pavements and passengers picked at unauthorized places.

He said the assembly was determined to make sure that things were properly regulated to help reduce vehicular and pedestrian congestion.

He was speaking at a joint meeting with the transport associations in Kumasi on Thursday.

Mr. Asibey Antwi said it was important for everybody to accept to get right with the law, to end the impunity.

He expressed disgust at the illegal conversion of a space in front of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the nation’s second largest referral facility, into a lorry park, creating a lot of inconvenience to both patients and the hospital workers and said that could not continue.

The meeting discussed a report by a nine-member committee set up to find effective ways to tackle the city’s chaotic vehicular traffic situation.

The committee visited the various lorry terminals and engaged the transport operators on how to bring some level of sanity.

It was made up of representatives from the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department, Ghana Road Coordinating Council, KMA’s Transport sub-Committee and the transport associations.

Mr. Asibey Antwi gave the assurance that recommendations contained in the report would be implemented to the letter.

Mr. Kwaku Duah, Chairman of the Committee, condemned the disregard for motor traffic laws by many of the drivers and asked the transport associations to do more to assist their members to overcome the indiscipline and lawlessness.