The Minority in Parliament has called the Greater Accra Regional Minister’s ban on tricycles, popularly known as Aboboyaa, from using the motorway unwarranted.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Minority said the Minister’s ban, set to take effect on November 1, has no legal backing.

The Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, announced the ban as part of making the roads safer and ensuring law and order in the national capital.

Of concern has been the commute of these tricycles from Accra to Tema to dump refuse at the Kpone landfill site.
Mr. Quartey feels the tricycles are causing a nuisance on the region’s highways and other major roads.

Addressing the media, the Ranking Member on the Transport Committee of Parliament, Governs Agbodza, said this intervention was also misplaced because the refuse tricycles existed because of a government failure.

“The reason they are doing that is because that is where [Tema] the treatment plant is. We don’t have enough treatment plants within Accra itself. If you see them on the highway going to Tema, it is simply because there is no other way they can dump it.”

“Let him [Henry Quartey] be aware that he is overstepping the authority under his watch. There is no law in this country to determine which vehicles drive on which roads. That is within the purview of the National Road Safety Authority and the Ministry of Roads and Transport,” Mr. Agbodza added.

He further advised the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to use the appropriate channel for amending road regulations.

“If they want to make changes, they should liaise with the Ministries of Roads and Transport and through the appropriate agencies for them to bring the appropriate laws to this House to be passed.”

“Until a point where you provide opportunities for people to do the right thing, it is wrong for you to pretend they will not do the wrong thing,” Mr. Agbodza added.