INEWSGHANA.COM - ROAD MAINTENANCE

Road accidents have become the headache of every pedestrian, driver and concerned citizen. Ghana has seen major changing trends and various developmental projects over the years. However, we do not practice effective maintenance culture to sustain these developmental projects. One of the major ways of curbing road accidents is the introduction of traffic barriers or metal barriers which keep vehicles within their roadway.

Most of these metal barriers are conked out of their position, mostly due to errant vehicles that traverse steep or collide with dangerous obstacles.

Judging from the George Walker Bush highway, these metal barriers have been damaged whiles others have been completely removed from their positions.

Plying the road, one will realize that some parts of the road have not yet been provided with these metal barriers. How long are we going to wait for this to be done? Or are we waiting for the usual attitude of experiencing some tragedies due to these minute neglects before safety measures are put in place?

The metal wires that restrain pedestrians from crossing the main street in order to use the provided footbridge are also in bad shape. Some of these wires have been destroyed to pave way for pedestrians to cross to their destinations whiles others have been completely removed. Another neglect of the practice of maintenance culture.

The question is, does this count as the responsibility of the Roads and Highways Minister or are Ghanaians just not patriotic enough to be each other’s keeper?

Ghana’s economy is on the drain yet maintenance culture is not practiced to save the cost of repairs and replacements. Even if inferior materials were used for such projects, at least, the practice of maintenance culture can give it a remarkable lifespan before it’s worn out completely. The country must remember that prevention of such incidents from occurring saves lots of cedis and dollars than solving it after it has occurred.

If it must be done, it must be done well.