TraffiTech-GH: Mahama directs installation of speed camera warning signs for transparency

President John Dramani Mahama has directed the authorities implementing the TraffiTech-GH traffic enforcement system to install clear warning signs ahead of speed camera locations to alert motorists and promote transparency. He said motorists must be given advance notice of camera locations as part of efforts to build public confidence in the new road safety initiative. The President said although the technology was intended to curb dangerous driving, its implementation must be accompanied by measures that inform motorists about its operation. Speaking on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Jumby Bay Island in Antigua and Barbuda, President Mahama stressed that transparency was essential when introducing technology-driven traffic enforcement. “All I will urge is that the police and those implementing Traffitech should put signs showing where the cameras are, because that is one of the things you need to do if you are introducing this kind of innovation. You need to put signposts warning motorists that there is a speed camera ahead. I think that transparency is important,” he said. Road safety cannot wait President Mahama also pushed back against arguments that the government should first repair the country’s roads and improve related infrastructure before deploying the traffic monitoring system. He said the poor condition of some roads should not be used as a reason to postpone measures aimed at reducing speeding and preventing road crashes. To underline the urgency, he drew attention to the number of schoolchildren who are knocked down by vehicles, particularly while returning home from school, with some suffering fatal injuries or permanent disabilities. “If you look at the number of children knocked down every year in Ghana when they are coming from school, you will understand why it is important for us to check over speeding. Children coming from school are knocked down and killed or permanently injured, and so it is important for us to check speeding,” he told The 1957 News. The president maintained that traffic enforcement and road infrastructure improvements should proceed alongside each other rather than be treated as competing priorities. He cited the United Kingdom as an example, arguing that speed cameras were used there despite roads not being in perfect condition. “My understanding is that Traffitech has begun with overspeeding; they have not yet added the other components of jumping red lights and parking wrongly,” he said. Responding to calls for road repairs to precede the introduction of the system, he added: “I mean, it doesn’t happen like that. The roads are not perfect in the UK, and yet they have speed cameras.” More enforcement measures expected President Mahama indicated that the current phase of TraffiTech-GH was primarily focused on detecting and penalising motorists who exceed prescribed speed limits. Other traffic violations, including running red lights and illegal parking, are expected to form part of the broader enforcement framework. The system is intended to strengthen traffic law enforcement through technology and address dangerous driving practices that contribute to road crashes. The President’s comments suggest that public education and clear notification of camera locations should accompany any expansion of the system. ‘Don’t overspeed’ On concerns that the fines imposed under TraffiTech-GH were too expensive, President Mahama said motorists could avoid the penalties by complying with speed limits. He was emphatic that drivers who stayed within the legally prescribed limits had no reason to incur speeding fines. “If it is too expensive, then don’t overspeed, that’s all, there is a solution to it,” he said. His comments come amid public debate over the introduction of automated traffic enforcement, particularly the cost of penalties and whether the country’s road infrastructure is adequate to support stricter enforcement. The President, however, maintained that preventing avoidable deaths and injuries should remain a priority, while insisting that the implementation of the technology must be transparent and accompanied by adequate public information.