The importance of street lights cannot be under-rated because of the essential role it plays. Street lighting is a critical social good that has many advantages for both pedestrians and drivers.
It goes a long way to improve road safety and reduce criminal activities in our communities. Whilst some street lights have become non-functional for a long time, others come on and immediately go off, posing a threat to the safety of drivers and pedestrians.
In the Accra and Tema Metropolitan Assemblies, some ceremonial streets have their street lights functioning properly in the night, whilst many others are nothing, but white elephants dotted along the streets. Some street lights have hanging bulbs and others are without bulbs, while some others have fallen down or been uprooted.
Poor street lighting in the Accra-Tema Metropolis has been an issue for some time now. On most of the streets and highways poor street lighting can be seen almost everywhere. The poor lighting system on the streets has been a major reason for the rising spate of robbery in our urban areas.
The robbers also find it easy to attack people on the streets, especially around dark areas, by snatching valuable items or physically harassing passers-by.
Some vehicles may also accidentally knock down pedestrians on dark streets and run away leaving them unattended to. On the dark street it is very difficult to identify figures and their activities. With highways that have bushes on both sides, female pedestrians are sometimes dragged and raped in the bushes. Children sent on errands at odd hours in the night are easily kidnapped.
The Chronicle is, therefore, happy with a Graphic.com.gh report that the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) has procured 20,000 street light to be distributed and installed in the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region. This, according to the GARCC, is to improve the lighting system and security in the nation’s capital.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, also took the opportunity to announce that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly would each receive 600 street lights, while the various municipalities get 400 each and in addition district assemblies would also receive 300 street lights each.
It was also announced that the GARCC is currently collating a list of all the electoral areas within the Greater Accra region to help draw an itinerary with contractors to fix the street lights.
The Chronicle will like to admonish the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to fast track the implementation of the street lighting project to give the national capital a befitting status. We also urge that when the project is completed, the various assemblies should strictly adhere to a rigid maintenance culture to keep the street lights working.
Also, we must all safeguard and protect the street lights from unscrupulous persons who steal the poles and lamps for their own selfish benefits.
