Towing of abandoned vehicles to start soon

The government is finalising consultation with stakeholders to kick-start the project of towing broken-down and abandoned vehicles away from major roads in the country.

The project is to allow for the clearing of abandoned vehicles from roads to reduce the rate of accidents caused by stationary vehicles.

The Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, told Parliament last Thursday that the government, acting through the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), signed the agreement with the Roads Safety Management Services Limited on October 16, 2016, for towing of broken down and abandoned vehicles.

He said the road map for the implementation of the project was contained in the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180).

Mr Asiamah was answering a question from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyire, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, on why the implementation of the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180) had been put on hold.

L.I. not on hold

Mr Asiamah said the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180) was not on hold.

It was rather the implementation of Section 102 of the Road Traffic Regulation LI 2180, he said, which had to do with the towing of abandoned vehicles, which should have commenced on July 1, 2917 that had been put on hold pending further consultation with stakeholders.

Mr Asiamah added that when it came to the issue of communication, it appeared that education did not go down well with the public, hence the various concerns raised by the public regarding the implementation of the service.

Consultations

Mr Asiamah said to address those concerns, he directed the NRSC to postpone its implementation and allow for proper consultation with the public.

"As part of the consultation, we are engaging several stakeholders, including the Parliament Select Committee on Transport whom we met on June 19, 2017.

"We are also meeting other stakeholders, including transport owners, operators, the media and civil society," he said.

Mr Asiamah noted that he was waiting for the report of the Parliament Select Committee on Transport to help him address the challenges.

"We are almost at the tail end of the consultation. It is, therefore, my view to thoroughly examine the views of stakeholders to enable me to make an informed decision on the matter," he said.