The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has postponed the date for restricting tricycle riders especially those with ‘Pragya’ and ‘Aboboyaa’ from operating within the Kumasi Central Business District (CBD) from June 15, 2023, to an unscheduled date.
Recently, KMA served a notice to the populace in its jurisdiction that tricycle riders will be restricted from plying their activities within the Kumasi Central Business District (CBD).
This led to several speculations in the media indicating that the said ban on tricycle riders is to take effect on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
The restriction of the tricycle riders according to the Assembly is to ease traffic congestion within Adum, Alabar, and Dr. Mensah, all in the center of CBD.
This decision also aims to check avoidable accidents associated with their operation within the congested Kumasi central Business district.
According to the Public Relations Officer(PRO) for the KMA Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye, it has become necessary to postpone the scheduled date for the ban of tricycle riders because there was the need to sensitize the affected members on the decision management has taken.
“The directive is not a ban, but a restriction on their movement in the CBD. So we met with their executives on May 9 to let them know that the move was to reduce congestion in the CBD. They asked for some time to speak with their members. We realized that the education took a bit longer, so the directive, which was scheduled to take effect on the 15th, cannot take effect. We are still in the process of sensitization,” she said.
Meanwhile, the KMA PRO said that the assembly’s transport department and the MTTD would enforce the directive by being present at various checkpoints.
“The recalcitrant ones who will force their way into the CBD will have their vehicles impounded and taken to the Central Police Station or the assembly’s towing site, where they will be fined,” she added.
Commercial and private transport operators who ply their trade with the CBD have commended KMA in advance for having the intention to ban what they described as “destructive tricycle riders’’.
Kwame Yeboah said ”We are ready to support KMA to enforce this directive by the Kumasi Mayor when they finish their stakeholder engagement. We traders in Adum will call out the NPP if they interfere in this decision because of the election. We voted for them to lead a change drive but not to come and disturb us’’.