Former Accra Mayor Mohammed Adjei Sowah has called on the government to reserve one lane on major roads in Accra for buses that carry large numbers of passengers.
He believes the move could help reduce traffic congestion and make public transport in the capital faster and more efficient.
Speaking in an interview today, Mr Sowah said Accra needs to focus more on high-occupancy buses instead of depending heavily on smaller vehicles such as trotros.
“We cannot manage the city as it is by promoting the use of smaller occupancy vehicles like trotros,” Mr Sowah said.
According to him, dedicated bus lanes would mean fewer vehicles would be needed to transport the same number of people. He believes this could help ease congestion while improving the movement of passengers across the city.
Mr Sowah mentioned the Accra-Adenta stretch as an example of a road where such a system could be introduced without major construction work.
“If you look at the Adenta stretch, it’s almost a five lane. You have three main lanes and then two outer lanes. So, you don’t need an additional infrastructure,” he said.
He suggested that one of the existing lanes could simply be reserved for buses, but said the policy would only work if there is strong political commitment and proper enforcement.
“Take one lane out of the five lane and dedicate it to the buses. How difficult would this be?” he asked.
Mr Sowah also stressed that the responsibility should not fall on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly alone.
He said the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the police and other relevant agencies all have important roles to play in introducing, managing and enforcing dedicated bus lanes in Accra.
He believes a coordinated approach by these institutions could help make public transport more efficient and reduce the pressure caused by the growing number of vehicles on the city’s roads.
