Resident of communities along the major roads in the region are worried over the conditions of the roads, as they continue to pose a threat to life, due to their deteriorating state, and have appealed to the government to take steps to rectify the situation.
The residents along the Ho-Aflao main road, who spoke to the Volta File on the negative development at Ave-Dzalele in the Akatsi District, pointed out that portions of the roads had developed huge potholes, and parts washed away as a result of erosion.
Some of the drivers, who lamented about the poor state of portions of the Ho-Aflao road, blamed the situation on the poor maintenance culture in the country, saying that it was important for the state agencies responsible to ensure that the road networks were always in good shape.
Madam Rebecca Agbenyenu at Ave-Dzalele said sometimes, drivers kill innocent people when in the process of avoiding potholes.
Madam Agbenyenu recalled how a seven year old school boy was knocked down and killed at Ave-Atanve recently, and also blamed some drivers for over-speeding, saying it was surprising that some drivers overspeed even when driving in the towns.
One of the drivers on the Ho-Aflao road, Mr. Victor Adufu, said most of the road accidents that occur in the region and other parts of the country were as a result of the bad road networks. He further said that in their attempt to avoid these potholes and eroded portions of the roads, some drivers end up causing accidents.
Mr. Adufu mentioned the Ho-Hohoe and Ho-Kpando roads as some other major roads which are in a deplorable state, saying it was unfortunate that these roads would be allowed to deteriorate to the level in which they are now.
He explained that some of the accidents could be prevented if the roads were in good conditions, saying there was no reason why a professional driver would drive into a pothole when he or she could easily avoid it, adding that in doing so at times, the unfortunate happens when a vehicle from the other side of the road could be involved in a collision.
Another driver, Mr. Simon Asamoah, said most of the time, in an attempt to keep to one’s lane in areas where the road network was bad, some drivers fall into these potholes ending up with their vehicles breaking down, creating problems for them and their passengers.
