Kumasi Media Oriented On Process To Decongest Kumasi City Center
A media engagement on an internationally funded programme to decongest the Kumasi’s Central Business District (CBD) as well as keeping the city clean and green has been held in Kumasi.
The five year programme is under a project known as the Governance of Inclusive Green Growth in Cities( DEALS.)
The programme which forms part of the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is also aimed at reducing slum development and improve living conditions in existing ones.
Addressing the participants, Mr. Prince Anokye, VNG expert at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), called on the media to initiate an intensive public education campaign on the process to decongest the city centre and said “its role in achieving the objective cannot be underestimated. “
He said urbanization has brought in its wake several challenges especially, in terms of clogging the street with heavy vehicular traffic.
He said to improve mobility both in terms of reducing human and vehicular traffic a number of new initiative would have to be introduced.
“But we can’t succeed if we don’t engage the traditional leaders and other stake holders.” He cautioned
According to Mr. Anokye, part of the process will have to be the introduction of High capacity buses to to take over the place of commercial mini-buses known as tro-tro and taxis in penetrating the Central Business District.
He said other municipalities namely Asokwa, Asokore Mampong, Oforikrom, Kwadaso, Suame as well as Old Tafo will be engaged to work in tandem with the KMA to meet its objectives.
He said some satellite markets will be established in these areas where items that act as a pull on merchants and the public at large to gravitate towards Kumasi city centre to trade would be readily available.
“With these satellite markets, we hope to succeed in discouraging people from commuting to the city centre to shop for items after all on the periphery of the city these same items will be available.” He said.
Mr. Anokye explained further that because traffic cuts across boundaries, Kumasi cannot remain an island in solving an intertwined and hydra-headed problem which underpin the congestion in the city centre.
He added that, “At Oforikrom for instance, we intend to establish a major vegetable market while at Kwadaso there will be a one stop shop for agro-chemicals. Also at Oforikrom in the KNUST area, there will be a major IT equipment hub.”
The city planning expert noted further that the second phase of the project which will highly be an automated system will l depend largely on solar as an alternative source of power.
“There will be large solar panels on all the buildings to guarantee regular power supply situation and to ensure sustainable power supply.”
The Director of Planning at the KMA, Mr Michael Agyemang, noted that the constraint of limited space available at the city centre has compelled the authorities to critically look at providing a multi-storey parking lots as part of its determination to maximize space .