#GhanaWebRoadSafety: Danger looms at Circle as spoilt traffic lights remain unrepaired

Almost all the traffic lights at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange in Accra are not functioning as they should, a situation causing confusion between pedestrians and motorists plying that stretch.

The $100-million 3-tier interchange project which was awarded to Brazilian construction firm Queiroz Galvao on 28 November 2013 when the sod was cut to ease congestion within the circle enclave was commissioned on 14th November 2016 under the erstwhile NDC regime, led by John Mahama administration to outplace the Kwame Nkrumah circle.

A visit to the facility by GhanaWeb’s video journalist, Kwame Adzaho-Amenortor, revealed that almost all the traffic lights at the intersections within the facility lack maintenance barely 5 years after its completion.

A driver at the ridge hospital taxi rank at the Kwame Nkrumah interchange, Alex Peprah, in an interview with GhanaWeb stated that ‘’None of the traffic lights on this street is working. So, it is very unsafe for pedestrians and drivers. When they [pedestrians] are crossing, they expect us [drivers] to take a break for them to cross.

Although we are trying our best, we want them to fix the traffic lights so that we shall all be at ease’’.

Being a major arterial road network in the metropolis, it primarily aims to cut traffic congestion in and around the Western Corridor of Accra and protect pedestrian safety and carries about 84,000 vehicles on a daily basis.

Cynthia Danso, a trader at the interchange also noted that "Traffic lights are there to guide drivers to stop when the lights are red so that pedestrians can easily cross...people are always in a hurry to get home, get to work...so they cross without watching and cars knock down people here and there".



About GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign:

The GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign forms a part of the numerous projects GhanaWeb has rolled out as part of its 22nd-anniversary celebrations.

The year-long campaign dubbed #GhanaWebRoadSafety took off on Monday, March 1, 2021, and will focus on three key areas: indiscipline on roads; bad roads, and potholes that contribute to road accidents and absence of streetlights.

The campaign is being executed in partnership with major stakeholders including the Ghana Road Safety Commission, the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ghana Fire Service, and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority.

The campaign is also spearheaded by musician and politician Bice Osei Kuffour (Obour) as the Ambassador.

Join in the conversation by sharing your videos about indiscipline, bad roads and accidents on all our social media platforms; Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @TheGhanaWeb and to our WhatsApp number: 0552699625.