Head of Regulations, Inspection and Compliance at the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Kwame Koduah Atuahene, has revealed that the law in the country forbids tricycles for commercial purposes.
According to him, some individuals provide terminals to tricycle operators to “facilitate the illegal duty”, despite the illegality of their operations.
“The law forbids these tricycles for commercial purposes. In spite of that clear position of the law, we have some assembly allowing their use. In some cases, they take fees or tolls from them. Given where we stand and the duty imposed on us by law to take such steps that will help reduce these crashes, we cannot overlook this blatant disregard for the law. It is in that spirit the said directive was issued to the said municipal assembly”.
Kwame Koduah Atuahene
To address the situation, Mr Atuahene urged individuals who help these operators perpetuate such act to refrain from it.
“Well, I think we set out the issue quite clearly that for those that are issuing permit and taking fee for these drivers for unlawful purposes, they must desist. For those that are beginning to pay terminals for them to allow for the illegalities to fester they must also desist. Because ultimately, they go to influence the numbers negatively. If you look at the structure of these vehicles, you’ll notice that they are unsafe. They have very open sides and very little or zero protection for occupants. They do not have seatbelts for riders or passengers and these are basic necessities…”
Kwame Koduah Atuahene
Engagements with MMDCAs on tricycle prohibition
Mr Atuahene concerted to the fact that there has been engagement with MMDCAs to implement the laws against commercial use of tricycles.
He further explained that sufficient time has been given to assemblies to review existing practices and take steps that will “protect the generality of the public”.
“We constantly engage them, that’s part of what are regions do on a regular basis and the assemblies have transport departments. You’d assume that they should be very much on top of the law on these matters. We think that in spite of their knowledge of the law, for other reasons, they have the tendency to overlook it. But we also have a duty to point out these breaches to them. That’s why we have given them sufficient time, I think one month is reasonable time to apprise themselves with the law”.
Kwame Koduah Atuahene
Additionally, Mr Atuahene expressed his outfit’s commitment to “promote safety [and] ensure accident “numbers come down”.
“…we cannot overlook that. We have every expectation that they will see reason in this directive and do the needful within the timeframe…”
Kwame Koduah Atuahene
Stop patronising tricycles
In July this year, the Central Regional Police Command urged residents in the region not to patronize tricycles. According to the Command, the use of these vehicles for commercial activities is prohibited by law and the public should not support its operations.
It arrested 60 of the tricycle riders in a special operation to clamp down on illegal acts on the roads in the region.
The practice has also been of concern to residents in the region insist that tricycle riders drive carelessly on the roads.
Central Regional Police PRO, DSP Irene Oppong, stated, “currently, most of the accident cases recorded within the Cape Coast metropolis for the first quarter of this year were caused by the tricycles or the pragya“.
“They are in a commercial business and so if the public stops patronizing their services, they would fold up out of the system.”
DSP Irene Oppong
Read Also: US Biden speaks to China’s Xi for the first time in seven months
