STMA eases congestion in city centre
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has, for the past three months, seen steady progress being made to address undesirable vehicular and human traffic presence in the central business district of the city, particularly in the area around the Takoradi Central Market, known as the Market Circle.
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Traders and commercial vehicles that hitherto had taken over streets and pavements and as such made movement difficult for pedestrians and vehicles alike have now been cleared.
All commercial and private vehicles heading for the central market now use the inner lane of the road that goes round the market without obstructing traffic on the main roads as it was before.
The straightened atmosphere that currently prevails follows the insistence on discipline by the STMA, on the part of traders and commercial drivers who, until now, sold or parked in unapproved places.
To ensure that sanity prevailed on the streets, the STMA had city guards stationed in all street corners while traders who sold in unauthorised locations, particularly market women who had moved from the market to sell on the streets, were warned to move back to the market.
Following an hour’s walk through some principal streets and the central business district in the metropolis, the Daily Graphic can affirm that the flow of traffic has improved considerably compared to what existed before the decongestion exercise.
Many traders who hitherto converged at the Market Circle with truckloads of foodstuffs from the countryside now go to Apremdo, rather than drive straight to the central market.
As a result, the general insanitary condition that was found around the unloading area near the main entrance to the central market is no more.
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Trucks from the waste management department of the assembly now have the freedom to manoeuvre turns and lift communal containers positioned for refuse collection after trading activities come to a day’s end.
Even though there is some level of sanity in the metropolis, there is still work to be done nevertheless, since a number of bus stops have been turned into shopping areas while others have become taxi ranks. Besides, local porridge sellers are also using the bus stops as trading posts while other people also sell wares like travelling and handbags, cloths and earrings there.
The Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Captain Anthony Cudjoe, described the current level of calmness in the central business district as part of a plan to ensure that first time visitors and inhabitants of the metropolis were unrestricted in their movements in the city.
He said the assembly was aware of the increase in population of the city, which has in turn resulted in the heightening pressure on current social infrastructure. He, however, said that did not mean that traders could take over the streets with impunity. “As citizens, we have to know what is right from wrong,” he said.
Capt. Cudjoe said the assembly would continue to enforce its byelaws to ensure that sanity prevailed in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. He said besides clearing the city of congestion, the assembly had further identified other irregularities and would soon announce measures to address them.