The government is to introduce a new licensing regime for motorcycle and tricycle riders to regulate their operations, the Minister of Transport, Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has said.
He explained that under the new licensing regime, the police service would be empowered to ensure that motorcycle and tricycle riders adhered to road traffic laws.
Additionally, Mr Nikpe said motorcycle and tricycle riders would be put into unions under the new licensing regime to collaborate with the police service and would include a data base of all motorcycles and tricycles.
The Minister said this in an interview with journalists at a national stakeholder consultation held in Accra yesterday on the review of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 L.I. 2180.
Organised by the Ministry of Transport, the stakeholder consultation brought together representatives from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), and the Okada Riders Association.
It allowed the participants to make inputs on the proposed amendment of the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 L I. 2180, particularly, the provisions on the use of motorcycles and tricycles for fare-paying passenger services in the country.
According to Mr Nikpe, some of the provisions in the regulations would cover the mandatory use of helmets, periodic inspections, and rider training.
“Motorcycles and tricycles cannot be restricted to terminals or parking lots, but they will have places where you can identify that this is a motorcycle or tricycle terminal or slots that they can use on a daily basis,” Mr Nikpe said.
Moreover, he said that the licensing of motorcycles and tricycles as well as their registration was not going to be done by the private sector but would be under the DVLA.
The next step after the stakeholder consultation, Mr Nikpe said, would be the presentation of the proposed amendment to the subsidiary of the Legislation Committee and the Attorney-General Department for drafting, after which it would finally be laid in Parliament for consultation.
He said that the utmost priority of the government was the safety and welfare of riders and passengers, and therefore urged all relevant stakeholders in the transport and road sectors to make the necessary input to the proposed amendment.
The Director of Regulations, Inspection and Compliance, NRSA, Mr Kwame Koduah Atuahene, said although concerns had been raised about the effectiveness of the proposed amendment of the Road Traffic Regulation 2012, L.I. 2180 to regularise operations of motorcycles and tricycles, Ghana could learn from other countries where its implementation had been successful.
For his part, the National President of the National Union of Tricycle Operators of Ghana, Mr Hamza Hafiz, commended the government for the move to regularise the operations of motorcycle and tricycle government.
He also suggested that there should be a way to identify commercial motorcycle riders such as a particular colour or number plate to distinguish them from the private operators.
Mr Hafiz assured the Union’s willingness to partner with the government to ensure that the right measures were put in place, including designated parking stations and comprehensive insurance for riders.
BY CYNTHIA ASAMPANA
