By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Nov 24, GNA – Stakeholders in the road safety ecosystem have expressed worry over how theft and vandalism of traffic and streetlights by thieves and road users are hampering efforts to promote road safety in the country.
The stakeholders, which comprise individuals, organisations, State agencies, security services, and academia, have called for stringent measures to stop the occurrences, especially in the capital and major cities.
According to the Department of Urban Roads, 29 per cent of traffic lights in the country were non-functioning.
Mr. Appiah Adomako Baafi, Executive Director of CUTS International West Africa, said the situation had contributed immensely to road crashes.
He said some road signs were vandalised by miscreants who later sold them to scrap dealers and said street cameras should be fixed to track such people and drivers who hit them.
Sharing the academia’s perspective on how to curb stealing and vandalism of streets and traffic lights, Mr Lylord Thompson, a lecturer at the Academy City University, advised the incorporation of technology.
He said the incorporation of technologies, including sensors would enable the Agencies to monitor the location of traffic and streetlights in real time and the location of the individuals who stole them.
He advised the Agencies to build a smart system for citizens to make input and report incidents of theft to the control centre.
Chief Superintendent Alexander Kwaku Obeng, Director of Public Affairs, Motor Traffic and Transportation Department, Ghana Police Service, said the absence of traffic lights made traffic direction difficult.
The multistakeholder engagement was organised by the NRSA ahead of the Christmas festivities.
GNA