Kwabena Denkyira
The Ministry of Local Government Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) under the Ghana Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (GUMAP) is set to conduct the maiden Household Travel Survey (HTS) starting July 24, 2023.
The HTS is aimed at gathering comprehensive data on travel patterns, behaviours, and transportation demands of residents of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), to inform transport planning and management in the city.
The survey which will run till September 30, 2023, is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
It seeks to contribute to the development of a sustainable and efficient transportation system that meets the needs of residents of GAMA in the years to come.
The survey is envisaged to also provide crucial insights into the experiences of different households with regards to transport choices and trip satisfaction by helping policymakers to develop efficient transportation strategies that cater for the unique needs of each Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs).
Acting Chief Director MLGDRD, Kwabena Denkyira, who launched the survey in Accra, said during the period, trained interviewers will visit selected households across MMAs in GAMA to administer questionnaires that comprehensively capture travel-related information.
The questionnaire will cover topics such as travel mode preferences, trip duration, purpose of travel, frequency of travel, commuting habits, access to transportation options, and challenges faced during travel.
He said enumerators for the HTS will use standardised data collection methodologies to gather the data, ensuring statistical accuracy and confidentiality of respondents.
“The survey will encompass a representative sample of 7500 households from various MMA in GAMA, considering urban, and sub-urban areas by examining travel patterns among residence across diverse communities,” he said.
Mr. Denkyira urged selected households to provide accurate and truthful responses adding that the success of the survey and the subsequent improvement of transportation planning in GAMA largely depend on the information provided by residents.
“Participation in the HTS is voluntary and all data collected will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and used strictly for research and policy purposes,” he assured.
He reiterated that the ministry recognises the invaluable contribution of GAMA residents in the transformative endeavour and as such, the Ministry is committed to transparency and accountability hence, upon completion of the survey, a comprehensive report will be prepared, highlighting the key findings, and recommendations based on the gathered data and can be accessed on the Ministry’s website or through the Right to Information office at the Ministry.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri