I have observed that the space allocated to
commercial drivers at the Kwame Nkrumah
interchange isn’t adequate considering the
number of vehicles that work there. In my
opinion, about 100 – 200 meters should have
been reserved for them as bus stops. These
inadequate parking spaces have forced drivers
to park at ‘illegal’ spots. We cannot turn a blind
eye to this inadequacy and blame it all on the
drivers. I find it inhuman and abuse of the law
and power by MTTU officer who use this
against drivers. Where is the space for them to
park? Provided there are adequate parking lots
allocated and these drivers still park at
undesignated spots, then the MTTU will be in
the right. As it stands such is not the case
therefore the situation has created room for
extortion by officers under MTTU. Every day a
driver is arrested for a crime he literally didn’t
commit. A bad situation caused by planners
and builders of the interchange. I turned to
look at the driver and one can see the
frustration with no hope in sight on the face on
his face. Everything he has worked for the day
has been swallowed by the police and station
guards.
W
e
cannot continue to live like this. We cannot
continue to hide behind laws and powers – that
be to abuse citizens of this great country. We
have been concerned about the high rates of
road accidents in recent times but have worried
little about the mental health of these men
whom we entrust our lives. They are not happy
– certainly not. They’re stressed and constantly
37| Colossium . June 2019
abused by the law and the citizens they serve.
Passengers show no mercy to these gentlemen
for the slightest offenses. Bus stops are meant
for vehicles not police officers and station
guards. The way I see it, it’s the city’s form of
galamsey. These daily transactions are costing
the state millions of Cedis in revenue. If
offenses by drivers are legit, why not ticket
them and send them to court? Why force spot
fines on them? Do they even know how much
they ought to pay for spot fines? Who
determines how much they are to pay? I am a
proud citizen of this great country. I love my
country and people. I talk about this because, I
feel affected by it. Extortion is illegal even if it’s
perpetuated by law enforcers. The era of
station guards must be brought to end as
they’re not contributing meaningfully to the
transport industry with all the monies they’ve
been charging. Commuters need and deserve
drivers who are happy with their jobs and are
always in the right state of mind to carry them
safely to their destinations. This is non-
negotiable.