By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani, June 18, GNA – The Bono Regional Office of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) is undertaking a project aimed at reducing the rising cases of pedestrian knockdowns among school children on major access roads, and highways in the region.
According to Madam Abigail Atinpoka, the Bono Regional Head of the NRSA, the Authority had secured funding from the Road Fund, and was constructing child safety crossing points, speed ramps, and other child-friendly road projects along the stretches and highways.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mad Atinpoka said the project had commenced in the Sunyani Municipality and was situated mostly on the Abesim-Sunyani stretch where cases of pedestrian knockdowns were very common.
“In all we are putting up 10 safety crossing points including pavements in the municipality, and six of the projects are situated along the Abesim-Sunyani stretch which is one of the busiest highways in the region,” she stated.
Describing the project as a laudable initiative that would further reduce crashes, Mad Atinpoka advised drivers to cooperate with the contractors working on the project, saying soon it would be extended to some major towns and urban centers in the municipality.
She said despite intensified public and driver education, cases of pedestrian knockdowns in the region seemed to be increasing, saying the region recorded 12 cases in 202 seven in 2021, 14 in 2022 and 13 cases in 2023.
She said three cases of the knockdowns had been recorded in the first quarter of 2024 and attributed the cases to speeding and driver negligence.
Madam Atinpoka, therefore, appealed to drivers to endeavour to adhere to road traffic regulations and signs, and entreated pedestrians to always ensure they cross the road at designated crossing points to help reduce the knockdowns and fatalities.
Road safety, she added, remained a collective and shared responsibility, and called on all stakeholders to help the authority to bring sanity on the roads, control crashes and bring the needless deaths under the barest minimum.
GNA