Kwasi Amoako-Atta
The inconveniences caused by unauthorised speed humps or ramps on our streets and roads are many and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
These unauthorized speed humps or ramps are without the standard warning signs about their presence before motorists reach them.
The effect of the abruptness poses serious danger to drivers.
These unauthorised humps or ramps are also not limited to highways but also streets in urban areas.
Streets and roads constructed at huge costs to the state are degraded by these unauthorised humps or ramps and for road officials to turn their attention from this hurting trend is to display insensitivity.
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta’s announcement about an auditing of such speed humps or ramps recently is a welcome development which suggests that the authorities are not oblivious to the anomalies.
This is however, not the first announcement about these unauthorized speed humps or ramps and the intention of the ministry to deal with them. It has been over a month since the empanelling of a committee to address the situation was announced.
With nothing happening since the announcement was made we are wondering whether bureaucracy was thwarting the project.
We are encouraged now however, that a timeline appears to have been given to the relevant officials to deal with the challenge something we find relieving.
Such a countrywide exercise would go a long way in making highway journeys less inconveniencing and safer. We appreciate the dangers posed by over-speeding and uncaring motorists along our highways and even on crowded streets. This however, is no carte blanche for communities to construct their own speed humps.
The appropriate authorities should be consulted when such humps or ramps are needed to be constructed due to rampant knockdowns by speeding vehicles. The construction of humps or ramps requires expertise and as the minister pointed out, some highways especially those linking the South to the North and to the Western and parts of the Volta Region are international highways and should be devoid of such crudely constructed humps or ramps.
As pointed out in a previous commentary on a similar subject we noted based on the observation of some motorists that the portion of the highways immediately after such humps or ramps properly constructed do not deteriorate quickly. If many of such speed humps or ramps appear on our highways the volume of degradation and the extent of financial outlay to restore them cannot be imagined.
We encourage the minister to follow up to ensure that the auditing he has ordered is undertaken with seriousness lest our roads and highways would be littered with countless and dangerous crudely constructed speed humps.
The experts tasked with dealing with the subject should, as part of their terms of reference, recommend where speed humps or ramps should be sited and these must be constructed by the state. Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies should be involved in eliminating unauthorised speed humps.
The authorities have better means of stemming the over-speeding by some motorists on our highways which are reasons the humps are constructed anyway.