NRSA Restricts Traffictech Cameras to Roads With Speed Limit Signs

Ghana's National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has clarified that the Traffictech digital enforcement system will, in its initial phase, operate only on road sections with clearly displayed speed limit signage, to avoid penalising motorists for inadequate road infrastructure on the part of the authorities. The statement follows public questions about the fairness of the system's enforcement.

According to NRSA Director-General Abraham Amaliba, the decision was reached at a meeting held on Tuesday, November 3, involving the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Local Government, the Minister of Transport, the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), and transport industry operators. He stressed that using modern technology to enforce laws on roads lacking basic signage is unfair, stating, "We cannot use 21st-century digital policing to address 19th-century broken infrastructure."

Amaliba explained that although Ghana needs to advance digital traffic enforcement, the cameras are currently limited to routes with complete signage and clearly marked speed limits. He cited Boundary Road in Accra toward Mahama Road as an example, where the speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour and "cameras there will capture violations." Roads lacking the necessary signage will be temporarily excluded from enforcement until the relevant infrastructure is in place.

He acknowledged that this operational principle had not been sufficiently communicated to the public previously, leading to misunderstandings about the system's scope of application. He also noted that a dedicated Traffictech committee had been meeting regularly before the system's launch to oversee preparatory work.

Traffictech-GH officially began nationwide deployment on November 1 this year, utilising fixed cameras, mobile surveillance vehicles, and tripod-mounted devices to capture speeding and other violations, with electronic notices subsequently issued to vehicle owners. According to data previously disclosed by MTTD Project Coordinator ACP Alexander Kwaku Obeng, on the first day of system activation, some vehicles were recorded travelling at speeds exceeding 130 kilometres per hour in zones with a 50-kilometre-per-hour limit, including areas around Boundary Road, School Junction, Mallam, and Kasoa.

The NRSA's statement is viewed as an effort to balance enforcement efficacy with procedural fairness. Amaliba stated that motorists should not be penalised for the authorities' own shortcomings: "It is only fair that we do not punish people for our own inadequacies." The NRSA also indicated it will coordinate with road infrastructure agencies to install warning signs indicating speed camera monitoring, giving motorists reasonable notice.