Akatsi residents threaten to block road over recurrent knockdowns

Residents of Akatsi Tatorme and surrounding communities in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta region have asked the authorities to deal with the perennial knockdowns of pedestrians along the Akatsi Tatorme-District Assembly road.

They threatened to block the main Accra-Akatsi to Dzodze highway if no action is taken.

They said that portion of the road has recorded several accidents and killed many road users and pedestrians because of the inaction of the authorities and opinion leaders.

The current threat followed the death of Daniel Adzalo, a 56-year-old fisherman, who was crushed to death by a car in the early hours of Easter Monday at Akatsi Tatorme.

An aggrieved resident, Sitsofe Vuvor, in an interaction with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said they would embark on demonstration if immediate steps were not taken to curb the dangerous trend.

He indicated the situation was alarming as lives are lost frequently at that segment.

According to him, several appeals by members of the community have proved futile hence the need to express their displeasure on-street action.

"We are calling on the government and the Ghana Highway Authority to come to our aid by constructing speed ramps to end the indiscriminate knockdowns.

Mr Vuvor disclosed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the accident occurred at about 0600 hours on the GN Bank- Tatorme stretch of the Akatsi District Assembly road.

He said the deceased left home that morning for fishing at Akatsi- 'Katapilarga' when the unfortunate incident occurred.

"He was walking on the shoulder portion of the road with his bicycle when the oncoming vehicle, a Toyota Corolla salon car with registration number GR 315-17 knocked him down resulting in his death," he said

The Akatsi Police said they would investigate the cause of the accident.

Mr Edward Doe Adade, the Assembly Member for the area, who confirmed the incident to the GNA, complained about the rampant road accidents on that stretch of the road.

Some residents who came to the scene expressed deep anger about the continuous loss of lives on that stretch of the road.

They cautioned "we will soon block this road if nothing would be done to prevent these things."

On Sunday, March 14, Ernest Adabla, a 14-year-old pupil of Kingship Knowledge Academy at Akatsi, was hit by an overspeeding vehicle on the same stretch of road.

The body of the deceased Mr Adzalo has been deposited at the St Paul's Hospital Morgue by the Akatsi South Police Command awaiting autopsy.