The Kasoa tollbooth is now without the usual heavy traffic
Government announces cessation of road and bridge toll collection
The ban came into effect at 12 am on September 18, 2021
Traders at Kasoa tollbooth express sentiments about the policy
The usual heavy early morning traffic at the Kasoa Tollbooth was not visible on the morning of Thursday, November 18, 2021.
After the Minister of Finance announced government’s intention to abolish the collection of road and bridge tolls across the country on Wednesday, November 18, 2021, the ban commenced at midnight.
This came after a release by the Ministry of Roads and Transport directing the implementation of the policy.
The Kasoa Tollbooth, one of the biggest public toll collection centers in the country looked nearly deserted when morning came.
When GhanaWeb visited the site on Thursday morning, the usual heavy traffic especially on the side towards Accra in such hours of the day was absent.
The booths where officials sat to issue tickets and collect payment were empty.
Except for some traders who were taken by surprise due to the timeframe between the announcement of the policy and its implementation, the tollbooth had little human presence in contrast to what was usually seen.
Speaking to some of the traders, they told GhanaWeb that their source of livelihood is now at stake as cars will no longer stop for commuters to patronize their products.
However, speaking to the Member of Parliament for the area, he noted that the directive is to achieve a bigger goal which even though affects the economic activities of the traders, will benefit the larger population.
The Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro MP, Sylvester Matthew Tetteh told GhanaWeb that he will be taking measures to re-establish the affected traders and ensure that those who are ready to learn a trade are taken through training and setup.
Some drivers on the other hand expressed happiness about the policy but noted that they expected from some new policies to be added to the budget to help solve the issue of fuel price hikes.
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