I vividly recall my childhood days in Kumasi, way back in the sixties, when Police and City Guards used to cane pedestrians who crossed the road without paying attention to the newly installed pedestrian crossing lights. Though most of these poor traders and travellers must have seen traffic lights before the new system which controlled human movement was new to them. But instead of the Police and City Guards educating them about it they rather took pleasure in punishing them for their ignorance. But we’ve travelled a long way from the sixties and no one is going to cane anyone for not knowing that when the lamp facing them is red they must stop whether they may be walking or driving.
I also recall that when I first went to the Swiss capital city of Bern in 1979 there was only one roundabout of any significance in the whole of the city. Traffic at all road intersections was effectively controlled by lights which never failed to function. In fact so was it all over the country. However, not long thereafter, whether the Swiss came to Ghana and got fascinated about our roundabouts and decided to copy from us, or whether they copied the idea from neighbouring France or Germany I don’t know, but I do know that beginning from the late eighties the Swiss started replacing traffic lights with roundabouts at many areas. And while it’s not clear whether the whole idea was intended as a city/country beautification exercise or for traffic regulation they ended up killing two beds with one stone in the sense that not only did they (obviously) save money on power by doing away with traffic lights, they also used the roundabouts to beautify their cities and countryside.
What Do We See In Ghana?
But what do we see in Ghana? In a country where power supply is at best erratic, we seem to believe that traffic lights are preferable to roundabouts for the control of traffic. Perhaps we see this as a sign of modernity and advancement. Whatever reason there may be behind it, however, I wouldn’t have had any problem with this if efforts were made to ensure that once installed traffic lights would function all the time instead of from time to time as the situation currently is. I’m writing from Sunyani so for the purpose of this article I would like to limit myself to the situation as it is here.
I can say without fear of contradiction that on the average most of the traffic lights in Sunyani function for less than 60% of the time! And even for the few days that they do function they’re unreliable. Either a lamp is not burning or, even more dangerous, both sets of lamps may be showing green at the same time. I’m well aware that Ghanaians are so used to utility and other services being generally so unreliable that it no longer makes sense to keep complaining about them, but I still find this as totally unacceptable. The point here is that non-functioning traffic lights do not only create inconvenience and confusion; they also pose danger to road users. Fortunately, there aren’t many of them in Sunyani, and as I’ve already indicated, if our main reason for having them is to ensure smooth and safe traffic flow rather than as a sign of development there shouldn’t have been more than two at most.
Municipal Hospital/Police Station Traffic Lights
Knowing as I do that in other parts of the world driving through red traffic light is one of the most serious traffic offences – probably only second to knocking down a pedestrian – I’ve never stopped wondering at the impunity with which drivers run through red light generally in Sunyani and in particular, the one which is almost directly in front of the Municipal Police Station which also serves as the office of the regional Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU). If of all places under the sun, drivers so confidently and regularly run through red light right under the nose of the police then we have a serious problem, don’t we? But of course you run through red light only when the system is functioning. The interesting thing is that for most of the time that this particular traffic light is not functioning you’re more likely to see police officers checking ‘papers’ on roads leading to and from Sunyani than directing traffic in front of their own office.
What makes the situation even more serious is that there are no signs at these intersections to indicate which road has priority and which does not, i.e. assuming that the average Ghanaian driver would recognise the ‘priority’ sign if he saw one. In other words, there’s always confusion at these intersections which could have been conveniently controlled by roundabouts. Meanwhile, I’m sure that any road user in Sunyani will bear testimony to the difference between the traffic situation at the four roundabouts in the municipality and the four major traffic lights at the main transport station, Chiraa Road/Penkwasi, the Police Station, and Odumasi/Fiapre Road (SSNIT) intersections. I happen to live not far from the SSNIT traffic light and I know for a fact that over the past two years or so that I’ve been around about ten (10) accidents have occurred there.
Why Don’t They Respect The Red Lights?
Meanwhile this (SSNIT) traffic light is the least busy of all the traffic lights in Sunyani. So what can be the explanation why accidents occur there more than at the other places? Obviously, it’s because drivers who often drive through the intersection find it boring and unnecessary to stop because they know for a fact that for most of the time there won’t be any vehicle crossing. And of course you don’t expect a driver who runs through red light in front of a police station in the central business district to stop and wait for the green light in an area where there’s virtually no traffic. And if indeed there’s so little traffic there why do we need a traffic light there in the first place?
What We Need Are Roundabouts
For one thing, we wouldn’t be worrying about irresponsible drivers crashing into others if instead of a traffic light there was a roundabout there. In the first place not only are roundabouts cheaper to construct, they’re also cheaper to maintain. Secondly, to the best of my memory there has never been one occasion of a roundabout going out of order or not functioning properly. At roundabouts drivers don’t have to stop and wait at one side when there’s no traffic coming from the other side. Thirdly, roundabouts can always be constructed to serve a dual purpose of controlling traffic and beautifying our towns and cities. All over the world examples abound of beautiful ‘circles’ serving as major tourist attractions in cities. In fact for a very long time, our own Kwame Nkrumah Circle, with its fountain, used to be one of the most attractive view-points of Accra.
And What About the Sleeping Goats?
It may not be easy to single out any major Ghanaian town or city which is completely devoid of domestic animals roaming about in town. However, the sight of sheep, goats, even cattle and sometimes a donkey wandering about in the central business district of Sunyani is a particularly big minus to the status of the growing municipality. In some cities elsewhere pigeons and sometimes swans on lakes and rivers are public-owned and serve as tourist attractions but I’m not sure the Sunyani municipal authorities want to use roaming sheep and goats as our own version of tourist attraction. They’re a nuisance, plain and simple, to say the least, and the earlier something was done about the situation the better.
Traffic Lights Only Where Necessary
Finally, I wish to state that I’m not advocating for a total elimination of traffic lights because I’m aware that at some specific road intersections and junctions there can be no substitute for a traffic light system. But then where there’s the need for them we have to make sure they do function otherwise it would be better not to have them at all. But if for any reason they’re out of order the police must ensure that they direct the traffic especially if that place is as close to them as the Police Station traffic light is close to the MTTU office in Sunyani.
Kwame Twumasi-Fofie
kwametwumasi@yahoo.com
