President Akufo-Addo commissions a traffic management center in Accra

General News of Saturday, August 3, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-08-03

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday commissioned the Accra Traffic Management Center as part of the Urban Transport Project, to ensure efficient vehicle traffic, alleviate road congestion and reduce traffic congestion. to improve the socio-economic productivity of the capital.

The center, known as the Regional Traffic Signal Control System (AWTSCS), was set up by the Ministry of Roads and Highways through the Department of Urban Roads, with funding GHc 8.3 million (US $ 3.4 million).

The project, first in Ghana and in West Africa, was executed by MM. Alumbrados Varios (Spain) and Dakal Construction Works (Ghana), to improve traffic on urban road networks and to ensure the efficiency of various intersections.

The first phase of the project focused on the coordination of the traffic lights and 41 lights were upgraded at the intersections between the Neoplan badembly plant in Achimota, Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and Kojo Thompson Road to the Accra Central Business District. .

At the opening ceremony in Accra, President Akufo-Addo urged the Ministry of Roads and Highways and its executing agencies to ensure the proper maintenance of the facility to serve as a model center of excellence.

The management of the center would be carried out jointly by the Ministry of the Sector, through the Urban Roads Department, with the support of the Ghana Police Service and the Greater Accra Pbadenger Transport Authority.

The AWTSCS aimed to improve the level of service at the various intersections, ensured coordinated and synchronized signaling systems to reduce travel time, gave priority to buses at certain signposted intersections important for busy buses (Ayalolo bus ) and identified and corrected critical issues at signalized intersections to facilitate the collection of traffic data for planning purposes.

The President mentioned some activities undertaken during the first phase of the project, such as the construction of a traffic management center that processes traffic data collected from field devices, controllers of state-of-the-art traffic, LED signal heads and Magneto detectors.

The second phase of the project is scheduled to begin on August 15 this year and end in September 2020 with funding from the China Development Bank. It will involve 207 signalized intersections in the Greater Accra region.
This, he says, would include; installation of new traffic controllers and installation of detectors to collect traffic data essential to the smooth running of traffic in the national capital.

He said the commissioning of the facility was a major step in solving traffic congestion in Accra, noting that the free flow of traffic and safety on the roads were essential to the country's development. and strengthening key sectors of the national economy.

In a speech, Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta, Minister of Roads and Roads, said the inauguration of this facility was a bold attempt by the government to tackle the problem of permanent congestion in Accra, given the increasing rate of growth in the number of vehicles in the country.

He noted that the DVLA statistics showed that the vehicle growth rate in Accra between 2015 and 2018 was between 12 and 15%, putting pressure on existing road infrastructure.

As a result, the ministry was adopting a variety of innovative measures and a comprehensive approach to address the challenge, including: providing infrastructure for transit terminals, separate bus lanes, upgrading roads and building interchanges, he added.

Secret cameras were installed at the various intersections to monitor recalcitrant motorists who would blow up red lights and those arrested would be fined to deter others.

Mr. Amoako-Atta has appealed to all road users to comply with the Highway Code and protect the heavy investment in the construction of the facility to optimize resources and optimize productivity.