Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
A special operation carried out by the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) at selected areas in Kumasi at the weekend led to the arrest of 35 trotro and taxi drivers.
According to the police, the operation was part of the effort to decongest the road network in parts of the metropolis, as a result of the activities of some recalcitrant drivers, and also reduce the spate of accidents which mostly occurred over the weekends as a result of recklessness on the part of some drivers.
The operation was carried out mainly at the Morocco Shoe House area, leading to Dr Mensah and the Manhyia Palace, the official residence of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Other areas covered by the special exercise were the Anloga and Abrepo junctions, as well as the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Roundabout, which trotro and taxi drivers use as parking spots to call passengers to join their vehicles.
The offending drivers have been charged with deliberately causing road obstruction and picking passengers anywhere, contrary to Section 19 of LI 952/74 of the road traffic regulations.
The suspects were being arraigned at the time of going to press.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the operation, the Ashanti Regional MTTU Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, said road obstruction by taxi and trotro drivers, especially at the weekend, was now getting out of hand.
He said notwithstanding the regular education and advice that the MTTU offered to drivers to desist from that negative attitude, the drivers still blocked parts of the road network, making it impossible for traffic to flow smoothly in Kumasi.
He said the Morocco Shoe House area, which connects the Manhyia Palace, was very sensitive because apart from linking the palace to Kejetia, it also connected KATH where emergency cases were rushed to.
He said the activities of the drivers put the lives of people with health problems at great risk, explaining that vehicles that transported sick people to KATH for medical care usually got stuck in traffic for hours.
He said apart from the Morocco Shoe House road network, areas such as the Anloga Junction, the KATH Roundabout and the Abrepo Junction were the other problem spots that commercial drivers had turned into mini stations to pick passengers with impunity.
Superintendent Sarfo Peprah said some drivers had the wrong perception that the police did not operate at the weekend so they ignored traffic regulations and drove recklessly, leading to fatal accidents and the loss of property.
He gave assurance that the police would be on their guard every weekend to flush out recalcitrant drivers to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and a reduction in the number of accidents during weekends.
That, he said, would go a long way to reduce the risk of commuting on the road network in the Kumasi metropolis.
He appealed to the courts to impose heavy fines on offending drivers to deter others from committing similar offences.
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