Street designs should prioritize modes that can carry large numbers of passengers without an exponential increase in road space requirements. This means allocating road space to high-quality facilities for public transport and Non-Motorized Transport.
Background
The Republic of Ghana is home to nearly 29.6 million people, with 56 percent of its population living in urban areas. Ghanaian cities continue to experience rapid demographic growth with population in cities such as Tamale and Kumasi expected to burgeon in the coming decades. The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) is home to 4.6 million people, almost 16 percent of the country’s 2016 population. It is expected that by 2030 Accra will multiply its population by 1.7 times compared to its level in 2010, Kumasi by 2.3 and Tamale by 2.5. (IJBSS).
Challenges
Like most large African cities, Ghanaian cities have faced a rapid increase in motorization on a road network that is inadequately meeting the demand. Vehicle ownership has significantly increased over the years with private vehicles having more options to access opportunities giving rise to an auto-dependent city at the expense of non-motorized transport (NMT) and public transport.
In Ghana, ‘cycling is socially not seen as an acceptable means of mobility, and conditions for pedestrians are not conducive, as road infrastructure design does not provide for safe and passable sidewalks’ (SSATP, 2014). Despite majority of Ghanaian citizens being people of low-income groups who depend on public transport or non-motorized modes to access opportunities and services, infrastructure for Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) in urban centers and schools is inadequate. There is also a lack of safety measures for hawkers and others who make use of the few available facilities.
Successes
Ghana has in recent years undertaken steps to prioritize Non-Motorised Transport (NMT). Share the Road programme has engaged ITDP to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Transport to develop an NMT Strategy for Ghanaian cities. The Strategy involves incorporating a variety of interventions ranging from infrastructure improvements to more effective street management and improved public transport services. The development process incorporates field surveys to assess existing conditions for NMT users and institutional consultation to promote stakeholder engagement.
