Mahama Directs Warning Signs at TraffiTech Camera Locations, Insists Road Safety Cannot Wait for Perfect Roads

President John Dramani Mahama has directed that warning signposts be erected ahead of all TraffiTech-GH speed camera locations, saying transparency is essential if the public is to accept the new automated traffic enforcement system.

Speaking to The 1957 News on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Jumby Bay Island in Antigua and Barbuda, the President said motorists must be given advance notice of camera positions.

“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,” President Mahama said. “You need to put signposts warning motorists that there is a speed camera ahead. I think that transparency is important.”

Road Safety “Cannot Wait”

The President also rejected calls for the government to fix roads and related infrastructure before implementing the TraffiTech-GH system, insisting that road safety measures must not be delayed until road conditions are perfect.

“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,” he said. “Children coming from school are knocked down and killed or permanently injured and so it is important for us to check speeding.”

He dismissed the argument that infrastructure improvements should precede enforcement, citing the United Kingdom as an example. “The roads are not perfect in UK and yet they have speed cameras,” he said. “I mean, it doesn’t happen like that.”

System Currently Focused on Speeding

President Mahama noted that TraffiTech-GH has begun with overspeeding enforcement and has not yet added other components such as red-light violations or illegal parking. The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service rolled out the system on November 1, deploying camera technology to detect traffic violations, with the initial phase focused on speeding.

“Don’t Overspeed”

On concerns that fines under TraffiTech-GH are too expensive, the President was blunt: “If it is too expensive then don’t overspeed, that’s all, there is a solution to it.”

He reminded motorists that the maximum speed limit in built-up areas is 50 km/h, adding that drivers who comply have nothing to fear.

Background: TraffiTech-GH Rollout

The TraffiTech-GH system uses fixed and mobile cameras to capture speeding violations and issue electronic notices to vehicle owners registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). According to police officials, speeding accounts for between 60 and 62 percent of serious injuries and fatalities from road crashes in Ghana.

The rollout has generated mixed reactions, with some motorists and commercial transport operators arguing that the government should first address poor road conditions, faded markings and missing speed-limit signage before enforcing automated penalties. Some driver unions had threatened industrial action over the implementation.

The President’s intervention is seen as an attempt to address public concerns about transparency while maintaining the government’s road safety push.