Let's give dignity to public spaces

Accra Nov. 11, GNA - Mr. Magnus Lincoln Quarshie, Director at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy on Thursday urged Ghanaians to give dignity to public spaces instead of using them as refuse dump or taxi rank.

He said, "In this city, every small and open space is turned into a taxi rank or a refuse dump, but if we begin to dignify public spaces it will contribute to having a modernized city. Accessibility and mobility for people ought to be improved in the city.

"Cars which represent less than ten percent of our population are taking over the city at the mercy of the people for who the city exists. City authorities must give priority to walk and cycle ways in built-up areas".

Mr. Quarshie, speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the Modernization of the Capital City programme said what constituted a modern city is not only tall buildings but having dignified public spaces where people could come out, relax and move about freely.

He complained about the rate at which people use walk ways for squatting, saying, " The few cycle ways in the city also suffers same." Mr. Crosby Tekyi-Mills, Coordinator of the Modernization programme at the Ministry of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City said, " A modernized Accra will require systems and procedures of managing a city".

He said a modernization task force has been set up to educate the public about modernization and an educational programme was being put in place to enable people to understand the programme. "We will organize Television and Radio programmes where people could phone in and ask questions about modernization." He said the menace of containers; kiosk and the generality of unauthorized structure must be pulled down without compromise, saying, "The basic administration of the land must be revisited to suit our current situation".

Mr. Tekyi-Mills said it has now become a norm to undertake unauthorized constructions of buildings and temporary structures and the "sign stop work" was now a common view all over the city but could safely be ignored.

He said city regulations become real if they could be effective and advised that people should follow the law when developing a property.