More traffic lights for Ho

Ho, Feb. 20, GNA - Contracts are to be awarded for the provision of more traffic lights in the Ho township this year, Mr Kwasi Darfoor, Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) told a meeting of Heads of Departments at Ho on Thursday.

There is currently only one traffic light in Ho and incidentally the entire region, located at the intersection from the Residency, the sports stadium, the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) and the Goil Filling station.

Mr Darfoor was answering questions on issues of road safety raised at the meeting convened by the VRCC to thrash out matters concerning the use of telecommunication facilities by public institutions.

Mr Darfoor said areas where the traffic lights were to be erected had been identified but did not say how much would be involved.

He said the tarring of what was described locally as the "missing link" road from OLA Secondary School to the Ho-Klefe junction on the Kabakaba Hill was earmarked for tackling but added that: "We delayed in the necessary preparations."

Regarding the use of the major link road from the direction of Accra to the centre of the town as a one-way route out of town, Mr Darfoor said that would result in the under-utilisation of the road.

He said heavy duty trucks which used to be involved in accidents while going down hill on their way from Accra towards down-town were now being diverted at Afifekope through a link road and there was therefore, no need to continue to use the road as a one-way.

Reacting to concerns about a new road marking in the form of elevations in the middle of the highway at Apeguso in the Eastern Region, Mr Darfoor said it was a pilot project as part of efforts to curtail fatalities involving vehicles knocking down pedestrians. He said the new experiment became necessary because drivers failed to observe road signs, which required them to slow down on reaching towns along the highways.

"It is due to drivers attitude to listen to pedestrian complaints", he said, adding that the Road-Safety and Environment Department of the GHA was working on the impact of the experiment. Mr Darfoor explained to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the structures were meant to slow down the speed of vehicles and discourage overtaking while driving through the town.