NRSC to demolish unauthorized billboards

A joint taskforce under the auspices of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is expected next week to start pulling down sub-standard and wrongly sited billboards along road corridors in the national capital.

The exercise, which will commence on Tuesday, September 1, is part of ongoing efforts to enforce road safety regulations to reduce road accidents in the country.

It is also to ensure compliance with local assembly bye-laws.

The taskforce which comprises representatives from the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Ghana Highways Authority, Department of Urban Roads, various Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies in Accra, the Local Government Ministry, Advertisers Association of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service has been mandated to go out and remove all such billboards that constitute nuisance to motorists and members of the general public.

The motoring public, especially has complained about the wrong siting of some billboards and signages, which impede visibility, thereby contributing to road accidents.

The NRSC subsequently cautioned advertisers to relocate such billboards some of which have been situated in curves and road intersections.

The billboards also include sub-standard ones that have been mounted by agencies.

The commission further warned that failure to adhere to the directive would result in forceful removal of the outdoor signboards and surcharge the owners with the cost of their removal.

However, the directive has gone unheeded, several months down the line.

But the Chairman of the demolition taskforce, Ing. David Osarfo Adonteng, has told Today that the team will be dispatched on September 1, to start removing these billboards.

According to him, the taskforce had earlier gone round and marked sub-standard and poorly sited billboards for removal.

The markings, he explained, involved fixing tags which have the inscription “remove or relocate” on targeted billboards earmarked for demolition.

The engineer added that “If after this notice, they [the advertisers] do not pull it down, we will, and put the cost on them to bear."

Last year, the AAG accused the various local assemblies of allowing sub-standard and improper siting of billboards.

The reaction was in response to the NRSC’s order instructing the advertisers to remove such sub- standard billboards.