TIME and again we have drawn attention to the danger posed by the construction of unauthorised routes to link the Accra-Tema Motorway. And each time we do so, ad hoc measures are quickly put in place to deal with the problem.
Given the lackadaisical manner in which we have handled this very important issue, the danger stares at us again as soon as the efforts of the security personnel slacken.
But should things remain so gloomy forever? Shall we continue to go back and forth in our handling of this very serious matter? Is it not about time we took concrete steps to solve this matter once and for all?
We do recall that when our first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory, had the vision to construct this road in the 1960s to link Accra with the industrial centre of Tema, there were no residential areas in sight. Neither were there industries along the route.
But, today, all that have changed. Not only have many residential structures sprung up along the Motorway; many industries are also sited along it.
However, as more and more structures go up every day, the road network and other basic necessities have remained unchanged. Our planners have failed to improve the road network over the years and everybody is forced to cram onto whatever is available, even through unorthodox means.
We painfully recall that nearly seven years ago — on October 29, 2000, to be precise — four bodyguards of former President Rawlings met their untimely death on the Accra-Tema Motorway when the driver of an Urvan bus using an unapproved route drove onto the Motorway, causing the fatal accident. Furthermore, three vehicles in the convoy were destroyed beyond repair.
Haven’t we, as a nation, learnt any lessons from that horrific incident? If we have, then why do we still watch in glee as more and more people continue to use unauthorised routes onto the Motorway, thereby turning our only road paved with concrete into a death trap?
The Daily Graphic strongly suggests that all unapproved routes leading onto the Motorway should, with immediate effect, be permanently sealed to ward off any danger to law-abiding users of the road.
Secondly, we challenge our engineers at the Ghana Highway Authority to come up with designs that will make it possible for motorists to drive onto the Motorway from alternative routes without posing any danger to other users.
A good example is the recently constructed overpass that links Ashaiman and Tema which gives access to motorists from both Tema and Ashaiman to link the Motorway without resorting to unapproved routes.
But until approved routes are constructed, which we urge the authorities to undertake in the shortest possible time, no room must be given to unscrupulous persons to take the law into their own hands.
Life is too precious to be toyed with in the reckless manner we are exposed to every day.
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