New barricades cut off passengers, traders at old Achimata station
Okaikwei North Municipal Assembly enforces new traffic measure
Road users to use new Achimota Terminal
What used to be regular for road users of the Achimota-Accra road took a new turn when the Okaikwei North Municipal Assembly (ONMA) enforced a new drastic directive on parking and dropping off
Drivers, passengers and traders at the Achimota overhead bus stop have since received the shock of their lives when a few days ago, they met new barricades cutting off the place.
Also stationed at the Old Achimota station bus stops were several uniformed policemen and some task force workers from the ONMA.
Their purpose, to enforce the new directive by the assembly for all such persons to, henceforth, use the new Achimota Terminal; a terminal that was built for such a purpose under the John Agyekum Kufuor administration but has become a pale shadow of itself.
But as some of the frustrated road users would tell GhanaWeb, this decision they described as insensitive, will only burden them the more.
"We have to now make a whole walk to the new station to locate a bus which is bit unfair to us because when you get to the new station, you may not even get a bus to board or you will stay in one for hours until it becomes full before it move," a commuter expressed.
Some shop owners who spoke to GhanaWeb said, "What is happening here now is not the best at all, because this road leads and serves major routes and so for them to introduce these barricades, it will adversely impact our business because we get to sell most of our items to passengers who drop off here"
The Municipal Chief Executive for ONMA, Boye Laryea, however, gives a defense for this new, drastic decision.
"This decision was not taken lightly but it is one that was needed to safeguard lives because this part of the road is being used by many huge truck drivers and buses who often park at an unauthorized section to either load or drop off passengers and its not right," Boye Laryea explained.
He continued, "Apart from the fact that cars often get involved in accidents along that stretch, commuters are also facing the risk of being knocked down by cars and so as an Assembly we cannot sit down and allow these things to happen"
He has also assured that as long as he remains in that office, this new disciplinary directive will not be a nine-day wonder.
