A leading research and public policy think tank, CUTS International Accra, is calling on the Government to delay the full enforcement of TRAFFITECH-GH, scheduled for 1 October 2026, until it has inspected and repaired the traffic infrastructure at enforcement locations.
CUTS supports the use of technology to improve compliance with road traffic rules and reduce crashes. Yet a fair enforcement system requires traffic lights drivers can see, speed limits they can identify, and road markings they can follow. Installing a camera does not resolve a fault in the road system the camera monitors.
“Government should hold drivers to the law. Government must also make the law clear and visible on the road,” CUTS said. “The purpose of TRAFFITECH-GH is safer roads, not tickets arising from traffic lights drivers could not see.”
Across Accra, overgrown trees obscure some traffic lights. Other signal heads are damaged, displaced or out of service. At some junctions, one of two traffic lights works while the other does not. Faded lane markings and stop lines add to the uncertainty. These conditions create risks for drivers and pedestrians even before a camera issues a ticket.
CUTS is particularly concerned about the lights on Nsawam-Accra Road just before the Apenkwa-Achimota overhead bridge and at the Police Training Academy junction in Tesano. The traffic lights at these locations have reportedly shifted out of clear view for approaching drivers, while the TRAFFITECH-GH cameras appear correctly positioned. The authorities should inspect both sites from each approaching lane. A camera might capture a vehicle crossing on red even though the driver could not clearly see the red signal. This is not an isolated case.
“A camera’s clear view of a vehicle does not mean the driver has a clear view of the relevant signal or sign,” CUTS said.
The Ghana Police Service and the Department of Urban Road should first inspect every enforcement location from the driver’s position. The inspection should cover each affected lane, including visibility at night and during rain. Authorities should record the condition of every signal, sign, lane marking and stop line before activating fines at that location.
They should then repair and realign displaced lights, restore failed signal heads, trim vegetation and repaint essential markings. A location should begin issuing automated fines for a particular offence only after the road features needed to obey that rule are working and visible.
Regulation 211 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519) sets general speed limits according to the type and location of a road. Regulation 212 adds limits for particular classes of vehicles, while Regulation 213(3) provides for speed cameras and safety signage. These rules do not remove the need to tell drivers which limit applies where a camera operates. A driver unfamiliar with an area might not know where a built-up area begins or where a lower limit applies near a school, market or other place with heavy pedestrian activity.
CUTS therefore urges the authorities to place clear speed limit signs before every TRAFFITECH-GH speed camera and wherever the applicable limit changes. Drivers should receive fair warning on the road before an automated system issues a fine for exceeding the limit.
