Damongo residents appeal for speed ramps to curb accidents

Residents of Damongo in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region are appealing to authorities for speed ramps to curb the spate of accidents and pedestrian knockdowns in the Damongo township.

In an interview with GhanaWeb, the residents bemoaned that the lack of speed ramps on the Damongo township roads has left several people sustaining various degrees of injury and thus appealed to authorities to intervene.

According to the residents, the construction of the speed ramps will slow down speeding vehicles on the roads for children and elderly people to cross and also reduce the risk of knockdowns.

They maintained that the situation remains dire for elderly people and children who are compelled to cross the roads on daily basis to access amenities including public toilets, schools, football fields, among others.

They also alleged that prior to the asphalting of the Damongo township roads, they pressed on the contractor to consider constructing speed ramps, especially on the road linking Damongo to the Canteen where the District Hospital is located but the contractor failed to heed their plea exposing them to the dangers of speeding vehicles.

They revealed that the spate of road crashes and knockdowns get worse particularly on market days which are Saturdays and require urgent attention to curb the casualties.

"We were expecting the contractor to consider constructing speed ramps on the roads because, before the asphalting of the roads, there were speed ramps already but the thickness of the asphalt has covered everything exposing us to danger," bemoaned a pedestrian.

Another one said, "the lack of speed ramps on our township roads is dangerous and needs urgent attention before the situation gets out of hand."

"We need speed ramps on our township roads to protect our lives and I believe that the construction of the speed ramps will reduce the pace at which motorists ride on the roads," another one stressed.

The lack of speed ramps in the Damongo township has contributed to the rising number of accidents according to the residents and it will come to an end when authorities force the contractor back to the site to construct the speed ramps.