Frustrated Kegyina residents construct speed ramps to stop deaths

Youth and residents of Kegyina, a farming community in the Ahanta East district in the Western region have constructed speed ramps on the Takoradi-Ivory Coast international Highway after a number of them were killed by speeding vehicles.

The youth, mostly males, led by their assembly member were seen digging clay for the construction of what they say are temporary speed ramps to save the community of rampant pedestrian knock downs.

Though the community self-help initiative has been described as lawless, the Assembly member for Kegyina Electoral Area, Samuel Donkor told Empire FM’s Nana Adjoa Entsuah: “many of our people have been knocked down and killed by drivers who fail to observe road signage, they fail to adhere to the 50km pH driving regulation in communities”.

According to the reports, some community members are on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in the Ashanti Region and one other at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital at Sekondi.

Another resident who helped in carting clay for the ramps added ”in the past five days, three school children have been killed by such recalcitrant drivers. Just last week, one died on the spot and because the school is at the other side, they will continue to cross the road, we can no longer sit and watch our children die through the recklessness of some drivers, so we have to do this”.

The Assembly Member insists several attempts to get the highways authority to construct speed ramps after the construction of the road has failed over time.

“I held meetings with the Chinese company which constructed the road about 18 times just to get them to construct the speed ramps but all to no avail”. Now we have no option than to construct these to salvage the situation. ”

The community self-help ramps are just some few meters interval from each other.