By
Dennis Peprah, GNA
Tanoso, (Ash), Jan.
25, GNA – Aggrieved residents of Tanoso, a farming community along the
Kumasi-Techiman highway in the Offinso North District of Ashanti Region have
appealed to government to re-design portions of the road to control crashes and
fatalities on it.
They said the
Tanoso-Techiman road required an overhead, a climbing lane, two separate toll
booths and six speed tables, appealing that it must be diverted from the Tanoso
township in the long term to stem uncontrolled vehicular knockdowns and
crashes.
Interacting with
Engineer Mrs. May Obiri Yeboah, the Director-General of the National Road
Safety Authority (NRSA), the residents observed over-speeding and wrongful
over-taking were the major factors contributing to road accidents and
fatalities in the area.
Ing. Mrs. Yeboah
assured the people her office would collaborate with the relevant institutions
to find immediate solutions to address the problem.
She said pedestrian
knockdowns were recording alarming figures in the country and directed the
regional offices of the NRSA to intensify road safety education particularly in
communities along the highways.
Ing. Mrs. Yeboah
expressed regret that road accidents killed more than 2,000 people every year
and called for concerted efforts to stem the crashes.
She indicated that
ensuring safety and sanity on the road remained a shared and collective
responsibility, and implored every Ghanaian to contribute to that cause.
Ing. Mrs.
Yeboah explained the Authority intended to strengthen its passenger
empowerment programme this year, and urged passengers to check drivers against
over-speeding and careless driving.
Mr. Samuel Yaw Yeboah,
the Assemblyman for Tanoso Bongroso Electoral Area said the Kumasi-Tanoso road
was a major highway and therefore it’s redesigning was very important.
He explained a lot
of large trucks plied on the stretch and because the Tanoso township is located
within a valley, accidents on the highway kept surging.
The Assemblyman
observed that Burkinabe drivers who plied the highway were not conversant with
the road and were contributing to the rate of accidents.
Mr. Kwasi Agyenim
Boateng, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Head of the NRSA pleaded with
the residents to exercise restraint as the Authority collaborate with the Ghana
Highway Authority to identify solutions to the problems on the highway.
GNA