Some of the potholes on the Koforidua road
Residents in Koforidua in the Eastern Region are appealing to the government, to as a matter of urgency, fix the pot-holes on some major roads within the capital to prevent pedestrians knock downs and other road related casualties.
According to them, several appeals to city authorities appear to have fallen on deaf ears as nothing has been done about the situation.
Walking on the pedestrian section of the road in areas such as Nsukwao, Effiduase and Asokore has become very dangerous because both commercial and private drivers in an attempt to dodge the countless pot-holes resort to using the pedestrian section of the road, exposing them and other road users to danger.
A trader along the Nnsukwao- Asokore road, Madam Agyeiwaa, said bicycle riders are the most affected as they get knocked down by commercial drivers on a daily basis.
“They don’t even stop to check on them after knocking them down. We put stones and car tires on that part of the road to prevent the drivers from using it but they fight with us always and some of them get rid of items in the night when there is no one around”, she said.
Kwabena Baafi, a Senior High School student who commutes on the road to
school daily pleaded with the government to help repair the road as it poses danger to, especially, little pupils and students who use the road.
“A driver nearly knocked us down when he tried dodging some pot-holes the other day” He complained.
Master Donkor, a taxi driver, also bemoaned the poor state of the road, wondering why nothing has been done about it till date. He explained that he use the shoulders of the road in order not to spoil his car.
This situation is worrying, considering the fact that data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service in 2018, indicated that the Eastern Region recorded the most road accident deaths of 405, out of which 122 were pedestrians.
Aside the pot-holes, checks on most of the town roads also reveal that almost all the road markings, including those at zebra crossings have faded out.
The road from Adweso to Asokore was asphalted around December 2016 but started deteriorating just about six months after.
Some officials of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly, at the time, questioned the manner in which the contract for the asphalting of the roads was awarded, attributing the deterioration to shoddy work due to lack of due diligence in the award of the contract.
