NRSC inspects pedestrian footbridges

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has undertaken an inspection tour of footbridges in Accra to observe the level of completion of some of the bridges and how beneficiary the facility is to pedestrians.

The inspection tour was commissioned by NRSC in collaboration with the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) and the Motor Traffic Transport Department (MTTD).

The footbridges inspected included; Tetteh Quashie, Shiashie, Mallam in Accra and the Kumasi Tech Junction.

Mrs May Obiri Yeboah, NRSC Executive Director, in an interview with the GNA expressed delight about the level of patronage of the completed footbridges and the speed of work on those under construction.

“The newly constructed footbridges especially on the N1 Highway, the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange and other strategic pedestrian crossing points were undertaken with lots of stakeholder consultations which have yielded results.

“The pedestrians’ usage has confirmed that the spots of footbridges, user friendly nature of the bridges, and general closeness to a bus terminal, lorry station or major commercial activity centre influence the usage of footbridges.

“It is one of the best decisions the government has taken to reduce death and injuries on roads,” she said.

Mrs Obiri Yeboah expressed gratitude to the DUR for their support in constructing the footbridges that had reduced the knock downs on roads, adding that the projects will help them achieve their target of reducing deaths and injuries by half by the year 2020.

She noted that the road safety regulations stipulates that any pedestrian who does not use a footbridge or under path meant for pedestrians is liable to five penalty units, which carries a fine of GH¢60.00 or a term of imprisonment of not more than seven days or both.

She noted that the Commission is providing education on road safety measures through bodies like the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority, and also distributing stickers and pamphlets of road safety measures through tollbooth personnel to road users.

Mrs Pat Onny, Principal Road Safety Engineer, DUR, said the main objective of DUR is to move travellers including pedestrians from one point to their destinations safely.

She said the DUR has observed locations that need road marking such as road signs and zebra crossing to ensure pedestrian and passenger security; and measures were being put in place to ensure that those problems are resolved.

She said contractors had been assigned to overlay old roads or new roads with potholes with asphalt to improve safety of road users.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Augustine Akrofi, MTTD Commander who took part in the inspection, told the GNA in an interview that once there are laws governing the use of vehicles on the road, there are also laws governing pedestrians using the road called “jaywalking”.

“If you are found walking anyhow on the road without care or attention, you can be charged with jaywalking,” he said.

He said if a pedestrian walkway or footbridge is provided but one chooses to walk along the wrong path, then the person is liable to an offence.

Responding to whether the general public is aware of this pedestrian law, DSP Akrofi said: “Ignorant of the law is not an excuse; therefore if the police find you offensive of the law, then we will have to process you for the law court”.

He however said the NRSC which is in charge of education of road usage is using various channels including the media to educate the general public on the dos and don’ts of the road, yet some pedestrians still disregard the education.

“As an MTTD Officer, ensuring free flow of moving cars is my priority, however, pedestrian crossing of roads alone is a major cause of traffic in the metropolis, hence the need to enforce this law and compel them to use the footbridges if available,” he said.