Police at Suhum in the Eastern Region fired several warning shots to disperse angry residents of Amanase, a suburb of Suhum before there was free flow of traffic on Thursday evening.
The residents mounted roadblocks and burnt tyres in protest against a speeding vehicle that killed an elderly man.
There was vehicular and human traffic on that stretch of the Accra-Kumasi highway for more than an hour before the police were called in to clear the road.
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Residents said there had been more than 30 pedestrian knockdowns recently.
Regardless of glaring road traffic signs, most drivers plying that section have failed to reduce their speed.
The Eastern regional manager of the National Road Safety Authority, Denis Yeribu, partly attributed the incident to pedestrian activities on that stretch especially on market days.
“We have realised that the peak periods have always been Wednesdays and Saturdays during their market days where there are a lot of pedestrian activities. We’ve realised a few issues with that stretch, in that driver speeds were not reduced as they got to the hot zones. It’s a hilly area and drivers maintain a high speed to climb up the hilly portion and maintain the same speed to descend that’s where there’s a pedestrian crossing,” he explained.
He said the authority, in collaboration with the Ghana Highway Authority and relevant stakeholders, have begun deliberations to find a permanent solution to the problem.
“We have noticed the concerns of the residents of Amanase. As a proactive entity, we have taken steps to see to the concerns and the best way forward for everyone involved. We have been to the site, got some data down which we were to work on in collaboration with the Ghana Highway Authority and relevant partners to see what could be done at that particular section of the road,” he assured.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited in a morgue for preservation.