One of the systems used to check traffic congestion is an interchange yet motorists and commuters plying the Ofankor- Nsawam road have expressed serious worry about the growing vehicular traffic on the road in spite of the interchange constructed at Pokuase.
According to them, the interchange intended to address the gridlock on the road has had very little effect.
They say the 15.5-kilometre distance should take less than 30 minutes yet it now takes more than two hours because of the gridlock.
It is important to note that the Ofankor-Nsawam stretch is part of an international economic route that links Ghana to its Sahelian neighbours such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Besides, due to population growth and high cost of accommodation in Accra, many have relocated to the Ofankor-Nsawam area and even beyond but commute to Accra every day to work.
This means the stretch now serves more motorists and passengers than anyone could have easily imagined hitherto.
One of the causes of the gridlock is that the four-lane stretch from Circle in Accra empties into a two-lane one from Ofankor to Nsawam, which obviously is a problem.
Moreover, the motorists, commuters and the Resident Engineer on the Ofankor-Nsawam Road Project, Bernard Owusu, have cited the indiscipline of drivers.
The Ghanaian Times associates itself with all actions that would ease congestion in the Ofankor-Nsawam enclave such as expanding the dual-carriage into a three-lane one and checking the impudence of drivers with the relevant law.
This paper has taken this stand because of the negative effects of gridlocks economically, health-wise and environmentally.
Research, particularly in the US, says traffic congestions waste man-hours and time for meeting and other schedules that have economic importance.
Besides waste of man-hours, drivers pay more for fuel and maintenance.
Health-wise, passengers and drivers alike suffer from heat, stress, anxiety and respiratory problems due to the fumes they inhale on the road.
They can also suffer difficulties in hearing, fatigue, smoke and dust allergies, difficulties in visibility, digestion problem and dehydration but thank God, there is water being sold everywhere on the road.
Environmentally, there occur sound and air pollutions, which come with their own problems.
While associating with all the plans to resolve congestion problems not only on the Ofankor-Nsawam stretch but elsewhere in the country,
The Ghanaian Times would like to suggest that such small streets that connect larger roads must be re-constructed to divert traffic to help some drivers abandon the highways and use them to get their destinations more quicklythan using the highways.
