A journey on the Accra – Kumasi Highway: A trip to forget
KOFI AYIM
The distance between Accra and Kumasi by road is approximately 250 km (155 miles) and the average travel time is theoretically 5 hours 30 minutes.
The horrible, yet only major roadway that connects Accra, the capital city of Ghana, to Kumasi, the second biggest city, and points north and other parts of the country, to all intents and purposes does not qualify to be designated a highway…at least not yet.
Traffic delays on the Accra–Kumasi “highway” (known as N6), which runs through the middle of some cities and towns such as Konongo and Anyinam, coupled with roadway speed-limit bumps and humps, impede smooth and uninterrupted travel and thus put roadway quality and level of service (LOS) at F, as defined by transportation experts.
On a fateful and unassuming day on March 18, a reverse trip from Kumasi to Accra turned nightmarish on a VIP Jeoun Transport Service.
The 40-foot, 20k-pound or so bus, configured as a 31-seater Executive coach, left the Asafo, Kumasi bus terminals at 10:02 in the morning and hit the N6 “highway” running at an average speed.
It did not take long for this writer to notice that the reclining mechanism of seat number 24, which he occupied, was dysfunctional. So was seat number 26, on the adjacent row.
These seats – and probably others – would recede back and stay put in that position, creating discomfort for the passengers seated immediately behind.
Understandably, the vehicle operator’s assistant could offer no help nor explanation when called upon, except to assure that the problem would be reported and repaired upon arrival in Accra.
To add insult to injury, it was quickly discovered in the course of the trip that the air conditioning system in the enclosed Executive coach was dysfunctional.
The wide sealed glass windows offered no chance of sliding them open for the open and circulatory air, and passengers were left at the mercy of the scorching sun.
With temperature hovering around 93 degrees and humidity at 106 degrees, passengers felt so uncomfortable that a menopausal woman, probably out of stress and frustration, complained to no one in particular that the heat was aggravating her flashes.
Others took off their top shirts and/or pullovers with the anticipated hope that the bus would be fully air conditioned. Both the vehicle operator and his helper were helpless to resolve the environmental challenges encountered.
It took almost 4 hours to cover a distance of about 106 kilometers to reach the Paradise Rest Stop.
The seemingly unending roadway construction from the peripherals of Nsawam township up to the Ofankor Barrier may aptly be described as nightmarish and murderous in the sweltering and steaming hot oven Executive coach.
Uneven roadways, potholes, and manholes on the stretch would dictate movement of the bus as it would swing and sway sideways, forcing travelers to follow suit as if in a traditional hunters’ dance.
Elsewhere, the vertical humps and bumps of the heavy bus did not sit well with some senior citizens with enlarged prostrate, exacerbating their urge to go.
The roadway construction may be a temporal nuisance for travelers, but potential future chronic and acute upper respiratory problems may negatively impact not only on travelers, but also residents along the stretch under construction.
Further, unmotorable roadways not only place premium on vehicles, but compromises quality of life in health and environment.
When the Executive coach arrived at its Accra Bus terminal at 4:30 pm, some of the passengers were seen hurriedly heading into the washrooms.
Indeed, on this fateful day, there was nothing “Executive” about VIP’s intercity bus with license plate number MK 6775-24.