Some residents and traders who ply their business within and around Tech Junction have taken advantage of the broken chain fence to risk their lives in crossing the busy road instead of using the overhead bridge across the highway.
This act, according to some individuals pose a threat to the lives of victims and other motorists.
A trader who spoke with OnuaOnline’s Maame Akosua lamented how worrisome the issue has become for them.
“The issue is worrying. Someone was knocked down here some time ago. The authorities came around to assess the issue but I don’t understand why nothing has been done yet. Most pedestrians take advantage of the broken fence to risk their lives in crossing the road without using the overhead bridge. I don’t think drivers will be held responsible when someone is knocked down out of his recklessness,” she narrated.
She added saying, “I was here one evening when a woman was almost knocked down by a car. Since it was in the evening, the driver didn’t stop and we could not even identify him . The broken fence has been neglected for almost four months now. I think authorities are waiting for a more serious accident to occur before they take action in fixing it.”
A station master at Tech Junction, Alhaji Alhassan Yussif, confirmed that a number of accidents have occured on the stretch and have resulted to some casualties but pedestrians continue to defy orders to risk their lives all because they claim to be in a rush.
He suggested for the assembly to use hard metals or build concrete walls and extend that to ‘Top High’ –a suburb after Tech Junction from KNUST towards Amakom –to serve as a permanent solution to the menace.
“Some of them don’t use the bridge. They prefer to cross the highway through the broken nets all because they claim to be in a hurry not knowing that they are risking their lives. There was a time three people were knocked down and two died in an attempt to cross the road through the broken nets. They should build walls from here to Top High and beyond the traffic lights,” he suggested.
They further called on the Oforikrom municipal assembly and other stakeholders to take swift actions to rectify the issue.
Reacting to the issue off-record, sources at the Engineering and Transport Units at the Oforikrom municipal assembly disclosed the assembly has replaced the torn meshes several times and fined vehicle owners who run into the nets destroying them but the issue persists.
The source added that they submitted a proposal to the Urban Roads Department to replace the wire mesh with concrete walls to serve as a lasting remedy to the issue.
However, they cautioned pedestrians to use the overhead bridge and called for further public education on the dangers the act posses to them.
By Issah Zakariah/Benedicta Fynn Awotwe|AkomaFM|Onuaonline.com
