Stop these ‘murderers’ on motorbikes

There is a growing phenomenon that the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, the Ministry of Transport and, indeed, all Ghanaians must nip in the bud.

Some motor riders in this country are simply ‘murdering’ innocent pedestrians. I call it murder and not accidents because there are proven intentions to kill.

The impunity with which they perpetrate their acts is so rife that one wonders if they are excluded from complying with traffic regulations in Ghana.

The once-a-while swoop by the police MTTD borders on their not wearing crash helmets, their bikes being without number plates or using their bikes to commit robbery.

Nothing is done when they disregard traffic rules and regulations even in the presence of the police MTTD personnel controlling traffic.

The careless and callous riding activities of some motor riders (now known as “Okada” riders) have negatively affected several people with debilitating consequences.

Some have innocently been killed, maimed, paralysed and many injured, leading to career cuts, abrupt curtailment of the education of some children, while breadwinners have become beggars on the streets with psychological traumas.

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My experience

I am not writing this to draw the attention of law enforcement authorities only because my brother’s wife was knocked down to death by a motorbike in Kumasi in July this year or that my staff member was knocked down by another rider in Accra on August 15, 2017.

I am concerned because I have seen in Tamale how all the motorbike and bicycle riders stop at the traffic lights that signal for vehicles to stop.

I witnessed the same in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso recently. Why can’t the police enforce their own laws like Burkina Faso or replicate what the Tamale people are doing across the whole country?

In both incidents recounted above, the traffic lights were red for vehicles to stop, obviously including motorbikes, and the other vehicles had stopped for pedestrians to cross safely.

The motor riders, who equate themselves to presidential despatch riders, appeared from nowhere and at top speed to hit them.

In one of the instances, the rider stopped to help take the innocent victim to the hospital.

The general behaviour in such circumstances is that the riders bolt at meteoric speed, leaving the injured to their fate.

I am bringing this to public attention also because when the police MTTD personnel control traffic professionally and dispassionately, they can stop such riders from blatantly and boldly flouting the laws of the country.

Campaign

I am writing because the issue has not featured much in the NRSC’s road safety campaigns to the motor riding public.

Has anyone witnessed the Nima, Mamobi and Zongo Junction riders going to bury corpses? They ride as if there is a coup d’état and all traffic laws and regulations in the country have been suspended.

I am yet to read anywhere in the Motor Traffic Regulations that when someone is going to be buried such uncouth and illegal behaviours should be meted out to the travelling public and pedestrians.

Don’t worry about my positive anger here because life-saving anger is far better than suicidal patience and tolerance.

Enforce the law

I am sure many families that have been affected by such activities will agree with me that there appears to be a special dispensation granted motor riders, with a law nowhere in our books.

One dangerous thing is how the riders intertwine with street hawkers. I have witnessed several near-misses between the two.

I am sure politics has clamped the wings of the district assemblies in enforcing street hawking as such if Okada riders are hitting them, who cares?

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I thought we will get tired of expressing condolences for needless and preventable deaths of innocent pedestrians.

The spot fine in section 7 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 L.I. 2180, is a clean source of revenue for the state to finance road safety campaign and logistics for the MTTD, provided politics will allow its implementation to save the same people whose votes they woo.

May I at this point go on my knees to beg the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Head of MTTD, NRSC Board and all Ghanaians to strictly enforce the Road Traffic Regulations, especially so that bike riders will drive carefully and observe traffic rules.

I also encourage the NRSC to continue its education for riders and pedestrians.

The Tamale and Ouagadougou examples must be emulated to save the lives of innocent pedestrians.