N1 Highway Lapaz Intersection Enhanced To Improve Security|Social|Peacefmonline.com

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) yesterday inaugurated improvement works at the Lapaz intersection of the N1 Highway to improve safety, particularly for pedestrians.The enhancement work included the widening of the median at the intersection, reducing the curbs (limiting bricks) to make them disability-friendly, increasing pedestrian crossing time from 18 seconds to 41 seconds, and re-marking the crossways.

The project funded by the AMA and BIGRS is focused on enhancing movement of pedestrians and minimizing pedestrian death at the intersection.BIGRS is a worldwide

philanthropy that focuses on enhancing roadway safety in cities.In an interaction with reporters after checking the enhancement works, the Chief Executive Officer(CEO)of the AMA, Mr Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, stated the assembly had actually likewise noticed that automobile flow in the location was offered much attention than pedestrian safety.He stated an information collection exercise carried out by the AMA-BIGRS groups in 2015 showed that there had to do with 203,661 pedestrian activities at the intersection, with cars taking a trip at speeds varying from 90 kilometres to 120 kilometres per hour(km/h)on the N1 Highway.”On the average, 16,972 pedestrians were counted in an hour, showing that measures needed to be put in place to secure the lives of these individuals,”he said.Mr Sowah said although the enhancement work was a short-term procedure, there had been significant reduction of road casualties at the intersection since its conclusion last month.”The last check by the assembly clearly reveals that roadway crashes at Lapaz, which had the highest variety of all road crashes in Accra, had minimized due to the improvement works,”he said.He stated the assembly would continue to work together with the National Road Security Commission and other organisations to improve the quality of life of individuals living within the city.