The Ghana Highway Authority and National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) acting in collaboration with Department of Urban Roads, Department of Feeder Roads, Ghana Standards Authority, Motor Traffic And Transport Department of Ghana Police Service and Advertising Association of Ghana, wish to bring to the attention of the General Public, particularly Metropolitan, Municipal And District Assemblies (MMMDs), Companies and individuals involved in Outdoor Advertising that Regulation 188 of the Road Traffic Regulations, LI 2180, 2012, provides that:
i) An outdoor advertising sign placed on a road or related facility shall be placed in a manner that does not interfere or obscure a traffic sign, device, or signal to render the use of the road or facility unsafe to a motorists.
ii) The placement of outdoor advertising signs shall be in consultation with the Road Authority and the relevant body and in conformity with standards and regulations prescribed by the Ghana Standards Authority.
iii) A person who contravenes the above regulations commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than twenty-five penalty units and not more than fifty penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than three months or to both.
Furthermore, pursuant to Sections 11 and 15 of Ghana Highway Authority Law, Act 540 (1997), it is also an offense to place or cause to be placed, a free standing advertising Billboard in, on, along, over, under a trunk road or related facility or to place anything other than a Traffic Control Device on a trunk road or related facilities or make any excavation in a trunk road.
Owners of such Billboards erected in, on, along, over, under a road or related facility (e.g. interchange, bridge, footbridge, etc.) are advised to remove them by 31st August, 2015.
The general public is hereby informed that unauthorized or sub-standard Billboards along the roads shall be removed and offenders prosecuted in accordance with Regulation 188 of LI 2180 with effect from 1st September, 2015.
Below are the related provisions in the Service Advertising Specifications for Outdoor Signs in Ghana, GS 847: 2010, prescribed by the Ghana Standards Authority:
Section 4.7.1
No structure may be located within 150m of an interchange or within the divergence and emergence of an interchange or rotary intersection.
Section 4.10
All signs shall be placed at a minimum of 5m from the edge of the roadway/ carriageway. This implies that for roads with walkways, the sign shall have a minimum clearance of 3m from the edge of the walk way.
Section 4.11
Every illuminated sign shall be effectively shielded to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed at any portion of the road which are of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or to impair the vision of the road user.
A variable or animated sign shall only be permitted only in urban areas and shall not exceed the following limits.
i. For roads with speed limit of less than 60km/h, only full video and frames that change continuously.
ii. For roads with speeds greater than 60km/h, only single complete frame that changes every 30 seconds.
Section 4.12
Illuminated signs shall only be permitted on a sign only if it does not lead to unsafe driving conditions or does not have detrimental effect on the surrounding area.
Section 4.13
The basic and sole function of a road or bridge arches/gantries shall be for the purposes of traffic management. This means that Gantry Billboards are strictly forbidden. This implies prohibition of advertisements on both Pedestrian (Foot) and vehicular bridges.
Section 4.15
No billboard shall be mounted within a radius of 30m from the center of any intersection.
Section 5.2.11
No sign shall be located in such a manner as to obscure or otherwise physically interfere with the effectiveness of an approved traffic sign, signal, device, or obstruct or physically interfere with the driver’s view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic.
Section 5.2.13
No Sign shall be placed in walkway(s) or Bicycle lane(s)
Section 5.2.14
No sign shall extend over walkway(s)/Cycle paths or roadways
Section 5.2.28
No illuminated sign shall result in dazzling or glaring, by virtue of their size or brightness, or otherwise distract road users especially in wet and misty weather.
Questions related to this notice should be directed to the Head Office of the Ghana Highway Authority and National Road Safety Commission in Accra or by phone to 0201169906 or 0501319081.
Road Safety is a Shared and Collective Responsibility
Issued by:
-SGD- Chief Executive
Ghana Highway Authority
Accra
Executive Director
National Road Safety Commission
Accra
