[ 2021-02-17 ]

Faded markings pose threat to road users
Faded street markings are becoming a grave danger
to road users in the capital city, Accra.
The faded markings make it difficult for drivers
to keep to their lanes, a situation which poses a
risk to all road users.



Street markings, which are adopted globally as a
road safety mechanism to help guide drivers and
pedestrians on the proper use of roads, are
conspicuously absent on some of the streets
visited within Accra and on the highways
connecting the city to other parts of the
country.

As part of the traffic control plan, street
markings provide visual guidance for road users
and warn them when they are about to veer off
their lanes.

They also signal motorists to slow down or avoid
overtaking at particular portions of the road.
Street markings have, therefore, become a common
element of road infrastructure.

However, the situation on some roads in Accra
paints a different picture.



Faded markings

A Daily Graphic team went on an observation tour
and monitored the situation around the Tetteh
Quarshie Interchange, Ring Road Central, Osu,
Kaneshie, Awudome Estate, Teshie, Nungua,
Dansoman, Achimota, Adabraka and Ridge, during
which it became clear that most of the markings
were faded or missing.

For instance, on the Ring Road Central, pedestrian
crossing markings were off, just like the markings
that indicated where a vehicle could branch off.

Energy Quest Show
Also, at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, most of
the markings that directed road users as to where
to join the main road or exit it had all faded.

These include slip roads, which allow slow-moving
vehicles to gather momentum before joining
vehicles in speeding lanes.



Additionally, many of the white lines between
driving lanes indicating when it was right to
overtake or not were faded, making them partially
invisible to road users.

Ceremonial roads

It was, however, observed that many of the
ceremonial roads and interlink roads in affluent
communities had their markings newly embossed.

Areas in Accra such as East Legon, the Airport
City and some areas within the Airport Residential
Area had conspicuous markings on the roads and
interlinks.

Again, on the ceremonial roads linking the
Liberation Square, as well as along the Liberation
Road and the Independence Avenue, both of which
stretch from the Liberation Roundabout at Ridge to
the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, the team observed
that the markings looked newly painted.

Again, on the Giffard Road bypass, which starts
from the Burma Camp Junction through the Major
Mahama Roundabout to Tse Addo, the team observed
that there were permanent reflectors embedded in
the medians, making driving in the night
especially very conducive.

Danger

The situation on the roads with faded markings,
the team observed, created chaos, especially at
intersections during the rush hours.

At night or when it rains, the lines are virtually
invisible, making it difficult for drivers to stay
within their lanes, with some often drifting into
other lanes.

Also, some of the intersections are yet to become
pedestrian-friendly, as the team observed that
they had faded or there were no zebra crossing
lines, causing pedestrians to cross the road
indiscriminately.

Few contracts

The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of
Roads and Highways, Mr Isaac Agyei Kwakye,
admitted that the observation by the Daily Graphic
on the poor state of road markings was a true
reflection of the current situation.

He explained that road markings in some parts of
Accra and other cities were faded because very few
contracts were awarded in 2020 for the maintenance
of road markings due to financial challenges,
indicating that the maintenance of road markings
was the responsibility of all the agencies under
the ministry — the Department of Urban Roads
(DUR), the Department of Feeder Roads and the
Ghana Highways Authority.

“Every year, we are supposed to do remarking of
the roads, but because of the coronavirus
pandemic, we faced financial challenges and as a
result we couldn’t award enough contracts in
2020 for the re-marking of roads,” he said.

Committed

The PRO, however, said the ministry was committed
to improving on the work done on some of the roads
to ensure that all roads were re-marked to keep
them safe at all times.

“The President has declared this year as the
Year of Roads again and so we are hopeful that we
will improve on the works,” Mr Kwakye said.

National concern

Reacting to the observations, the Director of
Communications at the National Road Safety
Authority (NRSA), Mr Kwame Atuahene, told the
Daily Graphic that the authority had also noticed
with displeasure the situation, which posed a
danger to road users.

He said it was part of the plan of the authority
this year to wage a campaign for the proper
maintenance of all street markings across the
country.

“We are aware of the situation and the danger it
poses to road users, so it is even part of our
plan this year to ensure that the mandated
institution, which is the DUR, is made to sit
up,” he said.

A city guard, Mr Matthew Andam, told the Daily
Graphic that the markings on the ceremonial roads
looked visible and bright because they were
repainted periodically during state events.

He suggested that in between those periods, the
government must ensure that the lines remained
visible.

Maintenance

In a separate interview, the Regional Maintenance
Engineer at the DUR in Accra, Mr Kwame Obuobi,
said most of the markings on the busy roads within
Accra, such as the Liberation Road, had been
freshly painted but there were a few that needed
to be redone.

He said road markings were not permanent features
of roads and had the tendency to fade over time,
hence the need to remake them over a period of
time.

"This year, we will continue with the work we did
last year to ensure that the markings are
visible," he said.

Source - Graphic Online

... go Back