Agence Francaise Development (AFD) is providing technical support to the Expanded Kumasi Metropolitan Area for the preparation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) under the Mobilize Your City (MYC) partnership.
The plan or document spells out the direction for the development of Mobility issues within the coverage area.
Engineer Dr. Williams Ackaah, Head of Transportation Engineering Division Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Building and Road Research institute (CSIR-BRRI) explained that the sensitisation was geared towards the preparation of long -term vision and prioritisation scenarios.
The Steering Committee sensitisation programme was attended by all the sixteen (16) Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) within the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA).
According to him, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan is a strategic plan designed to satisfy the Mobility needs of the people and businesses in cities and their surroundings for better and quality lives.
He said the project would also establish a clear roadmap, set a robust flexible finding and implementation plan and disclosed that the exercise would shift to rather focus on planning towards comprehensive Sustainable Urban Mobility concept.
Dr. Ackaah revealed that the objective of the project is to look at problems, identify long term vision for Mobility in Kumasi prioritisation scenarios.
According to him, the possible consequences are a strong population growth and urban dwelling, increase travel length and time, a strong competition for urban space including Terminals and Stations, adding that Kumasi is likely to remain concentrated and centralised.
He stressed that, the objectives to improve safety to enhance public Transport, improve institutional framework and revenues and reduce over concentration of Transport demand orientation towards the Central Business District (CBD).
He said it would also improve traffic and parking conditions and enhance the regulation and enforcement systems, while improving Sustainability of transport and its externalities on the quality of live, whilst educating the public.
He expressed the need for full dualisation of inner roads, development of on-street parking in Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) outside the Central Business District (CBD) and development of multi-storey car park in KMA CBD.
The project coordinators suggested the development of quality Bus Services with modern industrialised operation and development and improvement of monitoring tools and institutional framework for the Trotro System.
Mr. Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti regional Minister, as chairman of the steering committee for the implementation of the project, commended the AFD for the support.
According to him, the project, when implemented, would help reduce traffic. He said there is the need to create some parking lawns along the roads and other parking spaces for heavy and long vehicles to pass.
The Minister called for an integrated transport system to ensure the success of the project to achieve results.
All the best bro. This is in the right direction. May God be with you.