Speed ramps slow movement of ambulances  

By Rosemary Wayo 

     Tamale, Nov 30, GNA – Irregular spacing of speed ramps in communities within the Northern Region has become a matter of concern to drivers and other road users. 

    Nyankpala, a community which is about 19 kilometers from Tamale, for instance, has about 20 speed ramps, with heaps of sand at certain points that restrict speeding.  

     Stretches within Tamale, which include Choggu, have considerably many speed ramps, which slow movement. 

    Despite the significance of speed ramps on roads, its increasing numbers, demarcated short distances apart, distract the movement of ambulances, slowing their paces to attend to emergencies.  

     Mr Yakubu Ahmed, Manager of the Sagnarigu Ambulance Office, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Sagnarigu, said too many speed ramps on the stretches of the service’s operational areas slowed movement of ambulances. 

    He stated that irregular spacing of speed ramps within Tamale and surrounding communities did not only distract attending to emergencies but also caused damage to the vehicles.  

     He said “I can count over 22 speed ramps just from our office to Nyankpala. Areas like Choggu roundabout and the Tamale Technical University to Malshegu and town have too many speed ramps.” 

      He noted that the ambulance control room called for the services of ambulances that were nearest to scenes, adding that vehicles’ inability to move due to damage from high-speed ramps incapacitated them from attending to emergencies.  

      Mr Ahmed noted that challenges with speed ramps coupled with prank calls occasionally interfered in the operations of the ambulance service. 

GNA