Vehicles that violate the recently updated loading and unloading hours in the city are being clamped by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (A.M.A.) as part of continuous efforts to reduce traffic and maintain order in the capital.
This comes in response to a new regulation from the Assembly that restricts all street loading and unloading operations to the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every day.
The A.M.A.’s stepped-up decongestion enforcement activities in key trading and commercial zones include the new time regulation.
According to Mr. Gilbert Nii Ankrah, head of the A.M.A.’s Public Affairs Unit, the Assembly had warned before the enforcement that any car discovered to be in violation of the rule would be impounded at the owner’s expense and the violators would face charges in the A.M.A. Sanitation Court.
“We introduced this time restriction to reduce daytime congestion and safeguard both pedestrians and traders during peak hours,” Mr. Ankrah explained.
He added that the A.M.A.’s Information Services Department (ISD) had set up a mobile public address system throughout the city to announce the changes in both English and regional languages, and that the Assembly had taken proactive measures to guarantee public awareness of the new policy prior to its implementation.
“We are not just enforcing; we’re informing. Our ISD officers are broadcasting the new directive daily to ensure everyone understands the rules,” he reiterated.
“The clampdown is part of a larger strategy to consolidate the progress made in the ongoing decongestion exercise and to reinforce a culture of order, discipline, and urban cleanliness in Accra,” the Head of Public Affairs emphasized.
He revealed that vehicles found offloading goods outside of the authorized timeframe in places like the Central Business District and parts of Makola had been fined since the directive went into effect. He reiterated that the operation would be continued and expanded to other hotspots in an effort to regain complete control over the use of urban space during working hours.
He advised all drivers, delivery vans, and commercial transport operators to use approved terminals and off-street loading bays (car parks) as well as designated delivery zones located throughout the city, particularly in busy areas like the Central Business District (CBD), in order to minimize any inconvenience and to strictly follow the designated street loading hours.
Source: newsthemegh.com