Some inhabitants of Teshie, a suburb in the Greater Accra region, have allegedly been taking tolls from drivers to allow them to use the blocked road at night.
According to report, the residents involved in such an illegal act lift the barricades at the Teshie Mobil portion of the Accra-Tema Beach road and give access to drivers who pay a small fee to them.
The reporter noted that the barricades mounted on the main road to redirect drivers to use the inner roads due to the ongoing construction works are lifted by these inhabitants in the evening to allow vehicles to use that stretch of road that has been closed after those working on the road have stopped work.
These lads are spotted taking GH₵ 2 from drivers to allow them to use the road instead of the detoured path.
Speaking with one of the inhabitants on why they are demanding money from the drivers, he stated that the money is for the work done on the road to make it motorable for the drivers.
“You know how heavy these barricades are, so the money is for our time spent removing these heavy barricades from the road.” One of the residents.
When questioned if he is aware that what they are doing is unlawful, he stated, “They are aware that what they are doing is illegal, but they can’t sit down hungry since there is no job for them. But at least they can get money to buy food”.
According to him, the drivers voluntarily pay and at times, some pay more than two Ghana cedis. Others, on the other hand, ignore them, but if that happens, they take notice of your car and will not let you use it again unless you pay.
“Although we know it’s illegal, paying 2 cedis for them to use the road is not anything, besides it won’t affect the work being done on the road. Using this route saves your time and fuel instead of using the diverted route”, according to a private car driver.
Speaking with a commercial bus (troski) driver who was seen using the road, he said, “Though what the boys are doing is wrong, the drivers benefit more because using this road helps us save fuel. Also, passengers can reach their destination faster rather than using the diverted route, which is long and we don’t see it affecting the work being done.”
Another commercial bus (troski) driver was seen using the diverted route, When asked why he chose that route over the ‘opened’ one, he stated that it was because his car was not fully loaded, so he took the diverted route to pick up passengers. If the car was full, then there was no need for him to use that route and he would have paid the 2 cedis and used the ‘opened’ road.
Work on the Accra-Tema Beach road is ongoing, and it is changing from a single lane to a dual carriageway.
A three-tier interchange is also being built at the Nungua barrier, causing multiple traffic diversions along that stretch.
Background
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia break ground on the 26.6km road expansion project in August 2020.
When completed, the project, which is estimated to cost $100 million, will serve as a key alternative route to the Accra-Tema motorway.
