Drivers turn Nkawkaw-Kumasi bypass into parking lot

Articulated trucks and other long vehicles have turned the Nkawkaw-Kumasi bypass into a parking lot.

The bypass was constructed to ease congestion in the central business district of Nkawkaw

The vehicles park haphazardly on both shoulders of the road, leaving only a narrow passageway for Accra and Kumasi- bound vehicles, while a mini market has also sprung up in the area.

The situation poses danger to motorists who join the bypass from Nkawkaw, as they cannot see clearly to enable them to negotiate the curve safely.

Stop or be arrested

The Eastern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Anwubugtogbe Awuni, led some members of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and other stakeholders to inspect activities along the bypass.

In view of the danger posed by the parked vehicles, Mr Awuni warned the drivers to relocate or be prosecuted.

"It is also difficult for drivers who wish to turn onto the road leading to Nkawakaw from the bypass because visibility is a big challenge due to the parked trucks. The unchecked littering of the area further contributes in making the place very dirty," he added.

He said drivers had to be extremely cautious when driving along that stretch of the road to avoid accidents, especially "in this harmattan period when visibility is a serious challenge for drivers who also have to contend with these big trucks".

Mr Awuni said more policemen would be deployed along the bypass to help the NRSC to ensure safety.

Municipal Chief Executive
The Kwahu West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Dr Alex Obeng Somuah, said the assembly had made attempts in the past to stop the drivers from virtually taking over the road but did not succeed due to the manpower constraint facing the Police Service.

As an interim measure, he said, the assembly, in collaboration with the NRSC, had erected a number of bollards along that stretch of the road.

That, he explained, was to prevent the drivers from parking at undesignated spaces.

Dr Somuah said the Town and Country Planning Department and the Municipal Works Department had been tasked to look for suitable pieces of land on either side of the bypass to be used as temporary parking spaces.