{"id":111210,"date":"2026-01-15T14:15:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111210"},"modified":"2026-01-15T14:15:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:15:20","slug":"spatial-planning-authority-proposes-90-day-emergency-pilot-to-break-accras-gridlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111210","title":{"rendered":"Spatial Planning Authority proposes 90-day emergency pilot to break Accra\u2019s gridlock"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 46 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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The solution to the soul-crushing traffic congestion paralyzing Ghana\u2019s capital may not require years of construction, but rather 90 days of decisive administrative action.<\/p>\n

In a bold assertion on Joy FM<\/strong> on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Mr. Benedict Arkhurst, the Head of Plan Preparation at the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), claimed that Accra\u2019s transport nightmare could be significantly mitigated within just three months if the government pivots from planning to aggressive enforcement.<\/p>\n

While many believe the answer to Accra\u2019s congestion lies in multi-million-dollar interchanges, Mr. Arkhurst argues that the networks and blueprints are already in the state\u2019s possession. <\/p>\n

He revealed that the government invested approximately \u20ac2 million (roughly GHS 35 million) in a National Special Development Framework that remains largely unexploited.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe plans are already there. If we roll them out within two or three months, we should be good to go because the networks are already there, and it is a matter of enforcement to ensure that,\u201d Mr. Arkhurst stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The official\u2019s frustration stems from the fact that the state has already paid for international expertise to diagnose and solve the city\u2019s mobility issues. \u201cThe government sponsored these plans for them to be prepared\u2026 which cost the government almost two million euros,\u201d he disclosed.<\/p>\n

At the heart of LUSPA\u2019s strategy is a transition to a high-capacity Arterial Bus System. <\/p>\n

Rather than a total city-wide overhaul\u2014which often stalls due to funding\u2014Mr Arkhurst proposed a phased pilot approach targeting the most congested corridors, such as the Madina-Adenta, Kasoa-Mallam, and Tema Motorway routes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe arterial bus system we proposed is about five. Let us start with the pilot; let us look at where traffic is very heavy, let us develop two of the networks and pilot and see whether it will really help to improve the situation, then we can do it in phases,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The strategy involves dedicating existing road space exclusively to high-occupancy vehicles during peak hours, effectively bypassing the bottleneck of private cars and commercial vehicles.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can even try with one. Once we see positive signs and all that, we can now go ahead and do the rest,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The three-month timeline hinges on one critical factor: Enforcement. <\/p>\n

Mr. Arkhurst noted that the physical roads (the networks) exist, but they are currently managed inefficiently. <\/p>\n

He argued that if the Ministry of Transport and the Department of Urban Roads enforced lane discipline and cleared unauthorised trading hubs that spill onto the tarmac, the city would breathe again almost instantly.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Phase<\/strong><\/td>\nDuration<\/strong><\/td>\nPrimary Action<\/strong><\/td>\nExpected Outcome<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
I: Preparation<\/strong><\/td>\n30 Days<\/td>\nIdentify 2 key corridors & engage stakeholders.<\/td>\nReady for rollout.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
II: Pilot Launch<\/strong><\/td>\n30 Days<\/td>\nDedicate lanes for high-capacity buses; strict policing.<\/td>\nImmediate reduction in commute times.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
III: Assessment<\/strong><\/td>\n30 Days<\/td>\nReview data & plan for the remaining 3 arterials.<\/td>\nScalable model for GAMA.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

The urgency of Mr Arkhurst\u2019s proposal is backed by staggering economic data. <\/p>\n

Estimates from the Ghana Institute of Engineers suggest that the country loses nearly $2 billion annually in lost productivity, fuel wastage, and health complications due to Accra\u2019s traffic.<\/p>\n

By highlighting the \u20ac2 million price tag of the existing blueprints, LUSPA is signaling that the greatest waste is not the lack of infrastructure, but the refusal to use the tools already bought and paid for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"SpatialBenedict Arkhurst of the Spatial Planning Authority (SPA) has said that Accra\u2019s transport crisis could be resolved within three months if the city\u2019s road and transport plans are properly implemented.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2246,1945,1883,117,10,9,2539,15410],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accra","category-hp-news-8","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-roads","category-spatial-planning-authority"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111210\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}