Bus rapid transit— Solution to a worsening traffic situation in ghana

Page 21, July 31/ 2008

Article: Charles Benoni Okine

The Bus Rapid Transit popularly called (BRT) is a bus-based mass transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, cost-effective urban mobility. But this is not present in Ghana.
A drive around the major cities of the country particularly in Accra and Kumasi has become more of a nightmare than anything one can think of. Almost anywhere one turns to, vehicular traffic is inevitable.
Gone are those days when one could easily differentiate between rush hours and non-peak hours of the day. It has equally become difficult to tell weekdays from weekends because the heavy vehicular traffic is almost the same particularly on Saturdays. In other words, traffic on the roads has become 24/7.
In the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area for instance, it has been estimated that the population of about four million people would double in the next 15-20 years and this is expected to come with a continuing trend of reducing population density, expanding built-up areas, improvement in per capita income and an estimated five fold increase in car ownership.
In the country presently, it is estimated that there are only 850,000 registered vehicles with a little below half the number in Accra alone. Accra has a lot of well laid out roads but they are always congested.
According to the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), more than 70 per cent of major roads in Accra are congested and likely to get worse if current trends are maintained. It admits that some of the arterial road network are missing or in very poor condition, hence increasing the overall travel time.
The DUR quotes surveys that indicate that 70 per cent of motorised person trips in Accra depend on some form of bus transport (trotro and large buses) but utilises just over 30 per cent of the road space. Cars and taxis on the other hand carry less than 30 per cent of the person trips but utilise less than 60 per cent of the road space.
Trotro (minibuses) make up over 50 per cent trips in Accra but the vehicles are of low capacity, usually, 12-33 seater, and are very old and badly maintained, an indication of lack of motivation for investment by the operators.

GOVERNMENT’S POLICY:

In realising the enormity of the problem, its anticipated effects for the future generation, coupled with the need to bring the situation under control, the government, nine months ago, launched what it christened the "Urban Transport Project" to help reduce congestion and the related environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
It named the DUR as the implementing agency with the mandate to consider the following components; Institutional Development; Traffic Engineering, Management and Safety; Development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System; Integration of urban development planning and transport planning and Monitoring and Evaluation.
The strategy is to introduce these reforms in a systematic and gradual manner in close collaboration with the Ghana Road Transport Council (GRTCC).

THE BUS TRANSIT SYSTEM
One key component of the UTP is the implementation of the BRT which has been tried and tested in many parts of the world with very unimaginable results. Bogota in Columbia, Curitiba in Brazil and very near to Ghana, Lagos in Nigeria, are classic examples. Although Lagos is presently not implementing the full BRT, it has the BRT ‘Lite’ which is worth emulating.
As part of measures to implement the system in Ghana, the implementing agency needed to visit those countries that have managed to successfully implement the BRT, a move that took the team to Bogota and Curitiba.
A few weeks ago, a 30-member team made up of experts from the transport sector, media and financial institutions, among others, paid a three-day working visit to Lagos to familiarise themselves with the implementation of the BRT Lite by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
The main objective of the study tour was to afford the delegation the opportunity to understand the LAMATA set-up and how it operates, its institutional and regulatory framework and the BRT Lite, among others.

THE LAGOS EXPERIENCE
Lagos is the economic capital of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. It has a population of 17.6 million, about five times larger than that of Accra, and is said to be the most densely populated state in that country.
As a result of its popularity and because of its perceived destination as the economic state of Nigeria, the state is heavily populated with vehicles of all kinds. Many people who have been to Lagos some years back can attest to the horrific traffic situation.
The ‘Yellow’ buses, their commercial private vehicles, taxis and their ‘Okada’ (motorbike taxis) were scattered everywhere and that made movement almost impossible.
But the situation has greatly changed with the introduction of the BRT Lite concept which is managed by competent and well-qualified personnel from LAMATA.
When the Ghanaian delegation visited the Ikorodu Road from Mile 12 Terminus to CMS terminus, cutting across Mile 12, Ketu, Ojota, Maryland, Odiroko, Anthony, Obanikoro, Palmgrove, Onipanu, Fadeyi, Moshalashi, Barracks, Stadium, and Leventis among others, it was a delight to watch the drastically improved traffic situation.
The BRT Lite had reduced commuter time by about 56 per cent so that it took a shorter time to travel to destinations within the state.
LAMATA has its own security to police the routes on constant basis to avoid recalcitrant people from using them. There is no hawking on the pavements along the routes neither were any persons allowed to mount shops or stalls near the routes.


THE BRT GHANA.

Back in Ghana, there exists a concept design of the Accra Central-Mallam pilot BRT route, which is expected to reduce travel time for bus passenger along the route to an estimated time of 25 minutes compared to the one hour or more even at the best time of the day.
It is expected to attract over 10,000 passengers during the peak hours and is also expected to increase the productivity of buses and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
It is expected that larger buses will operate a scheduled service along exclusive BRT lanes in the median (middle) of the road. The services, according to the DUR, will be provided by an operator under a Route Service Contract with the assembly. The existing trotros will be assisted to reform their operations within a reformed regulatory environment, to provide feeder bus services along the proposed 11 feeder lines of the system.
The physical infrastructure and operational systems of the project will include: A trunk route (Kwame Nkrumah Avenue to Mallam); Accra Central Area Circulation Loop; Main Feeder Routes (11 lanes); Main Trunk Route Stations; Terminal, Passenger Interchange and Bus Depot; Bridges; Fare Collection System; Control System; Service Pattern.

CHALLENGES TO THE SYSTEM

The ideas drawn up for the implementation of the BRT project in Ghana looks sound and solid. One of the major challenges that will confront the implementation of the project in Ghana is most likely to be the political will. Several millions of dollars is required for the implementation of the project and although the government and the World Bank and other development partners have pumped some $95 million to kick-start the UTP under which the BRT operation is fully backed by regulations signed into law in Lagos and this may be a challenge to Ghana. A law to back the system is critical to ensure that only BRT buses use the lanes. It is also to ensure that those who flout the law are punished accordingly. Many of the road networks in the country have developed potholes because of the attitude of some of these senseless practices and the inability of the authorities to act promptly. And for such a laudable project, this negative behaviour should not be tolerated if its success is to be ensured.
There is also the challenge of the incorporation of the various transport unions into the entire project. In an exclusive interview with the Deputy National Chairman of the GPRTU, Alhaji E.A. Tetteh, he remarked that they would fully support the project only if there would be absolute transparency in the implementation of the project. It is expected that just as the GPRTU was part of the delegation to study the LAMATA experience, they will also be involved in future deliberations.


CONCLUSION

This project is the major solution to the traffic situation in the country today.
What is needed is commitment from the government side first. Here, funding must be forthcoming to make the dream a reality because of the numerous advantages the BRT system brings.
The commitment and sacrifices of the general public is also crucial to ensure the peaceful and speedy implementation of the project. There will definitely be challenges but with patience, the project will be done and it will be to our benefit.
The plans as drawn are expected to be modified to incorporate the experiences of Lagos, Curitiba and Bogota and it is expected to look more refined than earlier outlined.