TMA to strike on recalcitrant drivers

Tema, March 3, GNA - The Tema Municipal Assembly will soon arrest and prosecute recalcitrant commercial drivers who fail to comply with the directives on the use of approved lorry parks in the municipality. These include drivers who park, offload and load passengers at unapproved areas thus causing vehicular traffic in the municipality especially during the rush hours, between 0800 hours and 1000 hours on week days.

The Acting Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Evans Ashong Narh, described the activities of those drivers, popularly called 'floating drivers' as causing nuisance in the central business district at community one.

He was speaking to some executives of the various Transport Unions at a meeting to sensitise them on the need to decongest the area. The action, he said, apart from helping to keep the city clean and also to ensure that drivers used the authorised stations and deter floating drivers from operating.

This also forms part of the Assembly's decongestion exercise to get rid of street hawkers and unauthorised structures to ensure good sanitary conditions in the central business area.

He expressed the hope that all union members as well as residents of the municipality would continue to co-operate to ensure that sanity prevailed in the area.

According to the MCE the decongestion exercise also formed part of the Assembly's beautification policy with which it had set within two years to work to ensure that the industrial city regained its befitting status as the gateway to West Africa.

He said the Mankoadze Lorry Park in Community One for instance was constructed specifically for vehicles plying long journeys and to decongest the Community One main Lorry Pack, but unfortunately the drivers had deserted the place claiming the area was too far. The exercise would be monitored for the next three months to make sure all street hawkers are cleared off the streets.

He announced that the Engineers Department of the Assembly would soon design standard structures, which would serve as offices for the various Transport Unions at the various lorry parks.

He, however, commended them for sticking to the approved 30 percent increase in fares after the increase in petroleum prices.

The Union members on their part commended the Assembly for its decongestion exercise which according to them had not only made the city clean but also increased traffic flow within the past few days.