We’re not to Blame for Congestion in Town – Pragya Riders to KMA

The Tricycle (Pragyia) Riders Union in Kumasi has refuted claims that tricycle operators are responsible for the congestion in town.

“Like you said, the place is choked. We should ask who made the place choked. It is the trotro and roadside sellers and not tricycle riders. They should give us a different reason for banning us from the Central Business Business because if they say choked, then we are not part,” he said.

In an interview on Opemsuo Radio’s Nkwantannanso with George Adjei on August 2, Alhaji Kamel, the Chairman of the union, responded to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly’s (KMA) directive, which banned all tricycles from operating within the Central Business District (CBD).

According to Alhaji Kamel, the tricycle riders have engaged in multiple meetings with the KMA, but they never reached an agreement regarding the ban. The union even sent a letter to the KMA expressing their concerns, but they are yet to receive a response confirming whether their petition has been accepted.

“We had several meetings but we never agreed with them on that.  We wrote a letter to them with our concerns but we are yet to get a response as to whether they have accepted our petition.”

Mr Randy Wilson, Head of Transport at KMA in a phone interview confirmed that KMA did receive the letter from the union.

However, he clarified that the union did not raise any concerns in the letter. Instead, the union merely compared itself to taxis and trotros, questioning why they have not been banned from the CBD as well.

The KMA announced the ban on tricycle movement within the Central Business District on August 1, 2023. The assembly believes that this restriction will help alleviate congestion caused by the riders and reduce accidents, some of which have resulted in fatalities.

Story by Adwoa S. Danso