I was on my way home from a hectic day at work one Wednesday afternoon having been away from work due to maternity leave.
Yeah! It is good to be back but not with thoughts of what could happen at home. At least the HR rules allow the mother in such a situation to close early from work to attend to the child till age one.
Although eager to get home from work, I noticed that traffic had started to build up from the Harper road to Lancaster Hotel (formerly Golden Tulip), through to Bekwai roundabout. With all manner of vehicles from long trucks, pick-ups, vans, motor bikes, saloon cars and the tricycles both ‘aboboyaa and pragia‘ of which we all have different experiences with among others.
Fortunately, the Motor Traffic and Transportation Department (MTTD) were there to ensure that traffic flows, thanks to the Police Service for their work.
Gradually we moved through the traffic jam and began to move with ease because the traffic lights from Sofoline, Kwadaso, Asouyeboa, Tanoso and Abuakwa, are all working making movement on the street easy.
I have taken time off to mention these towns because the one time most congested traffic zone is practically traffic free and this is due to the expansion and on-going road works in those areas.
The only minus for me is the activity of commercial drivers in the middle of the road, which for me is artificial of which the Kwadaso Municipal Assembly can do something about. Interestingly there is virtually empty lorry station which is well paved but our drivers prefer to load on the main arterial road to Sunyani. Unless there is enforcement, passengers would rather board vehicles on the street because our human nature would tend to price that convenience over safety and the greater good.
Prior to this smooth ride, one is already exhausted just thinking about either boarding a car home or to the Central Business District (CBD) Adum, Kejetia, Central Market, Dr. Mensah, etc
Now, to the main reason for this piece, our vehicle stopped at Siloam Hospital Junction, a suburb of Kwadaso Nsuom in the Kwadaso Municipality because the traffic light was RED indicating to all motorists to halt.
For the first time I saw two tricycle riders ‘pragia’ also stop.
According to yunextraffic.com “traffic light systems improve safety at intersection by regulating the flow of traffic and minimizing conflicts between different roads users”
On this fateful day these riders were observing traffic regulation when suddenly a siren sounded amidst non-stop honking behind us.
I was wondering what type of car it was since my lay man’s Knowledge on sirens are for emergency cars /trucks, motorcades for hospitals, clinics, police, some state officials and fire at least that is what I understood from Regulation 74 of L1 2180 of 2012.
While writing this piece, my attention was drawn to an editorial by THE CHRONICLE newspaper in December 2018 with the heading “Use of sirens is regulated by law: not everybody’s right” sought to bring to light the disturbing phenomenon of the misuse of sirens by some road users.
The publication also explained in detail those qualified to use “sirens privilege” by citing road traffic Act 2004 (ACT683) and road traffic regulations regulator 74 (3) of L.I. 2180.
For some reason no driver was ready to cross the ‘Red light’ to make way for the van that seemed to be in a hurry more than anyone to pass.
The driver of the van also persisted. In all that noise, I asked myself who they are and why is no one ready to make way for them.
My thought was disrupted by a hawker on the street who was shouting “) se monk) na hwee 3nsi” really? Aah such audacity! As to whether the hawker was speaking the truth or not, I don’t know.
Anyway the ‘pragia’ riders and other drivers eventually passed through the red light to make way for the van. I guess it was for their peace of mind.
I was keen to know the category that the van falls within for the use of Siren in the earlier started regulations.
Fellow Ghanaians, it was a van that was embossed with the name of a private security firm. As in those security firms that provide security to banks, corporate institutions, warehouses and other facilities etc.
In their tinted glass they speed off! Disappointed and confused, I wondered if such firms have been included in the uses of Sirens.
What is it about sirens that everybody wants to use? Could it be that the abuse of the siren has bred a resistance to it?
I wondered if they (private security firm) can direct other motorists to jump RED light?
I am also sure that they are not the only ones. Weekends in Kumasi are a spectacle as hearses toot their horns and blow their sirens as they move to their destinations. This adds up to the road user’s confusion and dilemma not knowing when to give way to sirens and when to ignore it.
Still in this dilemma, some commercial drivers on hearing the siren of the actual emergency vehicle (ambulance)would refuse to give way saying “obiara nda mu”. Could it be that the ambulance is attending to some emergencies? Either going to pick patience up? Or delivering a critical drug?
So, I asked what should other road users do in such a case? How do we know the appropriate groups to accord them the necessary respect when it comes to the use of Sirens?
Again, I think it is the confusion coupled with the ignorance of the importance of sirens on our roads. At this point we must call for sensitization of the public since all of us are road users.
I call on the GHANA POLICE SERVICE particularly the Motor Traffic Transport Department (MTTD) to enforce the law to curb the lawlessness on our roads
Policy makers can make use of agencies like the Information Service Department-(ISD), National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), the media (both traditional and social) and transport unions in Ghana, among others.
On this note I am appealing to all road users to stop when the traffic light is RED!
Obey the SIRENS because it is there for a purpose.
By Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye
*The writer is a PR professional at Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA)
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
