Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has urged motorists and other concerned stakeholders to challenge Ghana’s newly introduced Traffitech-GH system in court, raising questions about how its traffic regulations are being enforced.
Manasseh questioned the fairness of imposing speed limits on motorists without adequately informing them of the restrictions and ensuring that the relevant road signs are clearly displayed.
The Investigative journalist questioned why authorities would impose speed restrictions, particularly around schools, without ensuring that motorists can easily identify where such limits apply.
According to the journalist, the absence of visible speed-limit signs could leave motorists uncertain about the regulations governing particular stretches of road.
He argued that authorities must ensure that traffic rules are properly communicated and clearly displayed before enforcing them through the Traffitech-GH system.
In a post on Facebook, Manasseh Azure wrote, “I have seen a very educational video by Joseph Kofi Frimpong Ackah-Blay, explaining the Traffitech-GH system that came into effect yesterday. Drivers who exceed a certain speed limit will be fined.
For instance, where there’s a school, the speed limit is 30 km/h. He went on to say that not knowing there is a school there is no excuse.
But why should you impose a speed limit when motorists cannot tell where it applies? Are we magicians?
I drove in the US for nearly three years. There, road signs and regulations abound in inter-city areas and on the highways. And because they are clearly marked, the maps on your phone tell you the speed limit, not just directions.
When you’re approaching a school, you see visible signs that indicate you’re approaching a school and the allowable speed limit. In some cases, when you’re leaving the school environment, you are again notified.
Here, we still go by the cliché that ignorance of the law is no excuse. Sometimes it can be. In Accra, the only time you sometimes realise you’ve driven into a one-way street is when someone shouts, “One-way, kwasia buulu!”
Not all schools have signposts. And motorists are not magicians who can sniff out all the different traffic requirements at different places.
If the aim of Traffitech is to keep our roads safe and not to spring surprises on motorists and make money, the state should help drivers to know where and what regulation applies.
The lanes on our roads should be clearly marked. Speed limits should be clearly indicated. Roads with speed cameras should be labelled, and drivers should be warned. City authorities should reduce commercial, church and funeral billboards that obstruct drivers’ vision, sometimes from traffic lights, and replace them with adequate road signs.
The driver has a responsibility, and so does the state. If the state fails, the driver should not be punished for that failure. Maybe a court should be able to tell whether it is fair to expect someone to adhere to a speed limit near a school when you have not told that person about the existence of a school”.
Meanwhile, Commercial transport operators have threatened to suspend services nationwide on November 1, when the Traffitech-GH system is scheduled to become operational.
The operators, led by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Commercial Transport Operators of Ghana and the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana, say they will direct their members to park their vehicles if the authorities proceed with the rollout without addressing their concerns.
According to the groups, their leadership had resolved to direct drivers across the country to park their vehicles and suspend operations once Traffitech-GH became operational on November 1.
“We will not operate under an unfair and unjust system. You cannot digitalise illegality,” they declared.
They also appealed to commuters to take notice of the planned action and make alternative transport arrangements from Sunday.
“The government will be fully responsible for any inconvenience this action will cause,” the statement added.
According to the transport operators, the Mahama government is seeking to use the planned rollout of the Traffitech-GH system to extort money from drivers through traffic fines.
They argue that it is unfair for the government to subject drivers to camera-based traffic enforcement when the authorities have failed to clear the spaces they are legally expected to use for picking up and dropping off passengers.
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