Stop whining about bad roads; just pay your tolls - Anthony Karbo

Deputy Roads Minister, Anthony Karbo has urged Ghanaians to stop being grouchy about the terrible state of roads in the country and support government by paying their toll fees for the repair of the country’s roads.

Speaking on Citi FM's breakfast show, Mr. Karbo indicated that financing for the reconstruction of bad roads in the country has become problematic owing to the unwillingness of citizens to duly perform their responsibilities.

Comparing Ghana’s situation to that of other countries, he stated that the payment of toll fees is one ideal way to generate funds for the pursuance of such projects in addition to other monies from government.

“This is a discussion we should have in this country and support government to find new mechanisms, new ways of road financing because if you look at other countries, what is going on in the world now, and road users are paying for the roads, look at what is happening in America, all the roads you see in South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, are roads users are paying for….the real challenge we are having in this country is that people feel that we are paying for bad roads because everyone is whining, the motorway is not good, its deteriorating and yet we are paying tolls," he said.

According to him, issues regarding the maintenance of major roads in the country will be resolved if the subject of financing is discussed on a much bigger platform.

“We have gotten to the point where we have to open up, have a national discussion about road financing moving forward especially for major roads that we know that the volume of traffic and the amount of tolls people can pay over a period can service the road and there will be maintenance because it will be a road that everyone is paying for so the issues of maintenance which has been the biggest problem in Ghana, at least we will be somewhere in our resolving them…," Karbo noted.

He commended communities who have registered their preparedness to support government by gathering financial resources for the construction of specific roads in the country.

“Many communities are getting urbanized, there’s a growing middle-class in the country and they are looking for a certain environment in which they can operate. Government is conscious of that and we would like to engage communities that have these new innovative ideas," the Member of Parliament for Lawra Constituency stated.