It has, therefore, cautioned the government against any attempt to impose and enforce “this extortive levy which seeks to milk and jeopardise drivers. We shall fiercely resist this in all legal ways possible.”

This was contained in a statement issued by the Coalition in Accra yesterday.

The Coalition is made up of the National Union of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (NUPTD), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers – Ghana (COPEC), Ghana Committed Drivers Association (GCDA), General Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GPCWU), the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).

Yentua signatures

The statement said the coalition was in the process of getting "yentua" signatures from well-meaning Ghanaians against the levy.”

Failure to scrap it, the coalition said, shall result in mass protests and demonstrations in two weeks from yesterday.

“The coalition remains open to ideas and signing on of all progressive forces and organisations, individuals and institutions as well as strong-willed individuals against open extortion and wastage estimated to cost Ghanaians over GH¢150 million in just the first year,” it stated.

Existing laws

It said the coalition was of the belief that there were very good road safety laws which when enforced would lead to much safer roads.

“Simply imposing a mandatory levy on all vehicle owners cannot be the solution to the carnage on our roads. It is high time the state accepted responsibility for failing to apply the needed resources in dealing with the actual causes of road accidents on our roads,” the statement said.

It noted that most of the accidents on the roads were largely preventive.

The Coalition stressed that the performance of the various government agencies responsible for providing proper road defence measures such as signage, lighting, and pavement markings, as well as ensuring that the roads were safe for drivers, and pedestrians were imperative.

“We wish to remind government that it has a duty to design, build and maintain safe roads with appropriate lay-bys, rest stops and parking spaces along highways. Achieving these out of consensus and joint efforts on the part of both government and the motoring public should be the way forward, instead of heaping every burden on the already overburdened citizenry,” it stated.

The statement said there were sufficient laws and sanctions for drivers who left their vehicles or trailers in dangerous positions in the Road Traffic Act - 2004 (Act 683), and the Road Traffic Regulations – 2012 (L.I. 2180).

“We believe leadership has not adequately considered the real preventive solutions but is swiftly moving to another phase; the corrective phase, with the sole aim of surcharging and collecting money while ignoring the very pertinent issues of why and how these vehicles are abandoned on our roads,” it said.

Ministry’s response

Last Friday, the Ministry of Transport indicated in a statement that it had not taken any decision on the commencement of the towing services.

 “No decision has been taken yet on the commencement of the towing services,” it stated.

The statement said the ministry was engaged in consultations with various stakeholders such as the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport whose recommendations it had just received.

The statement said the views of all stakeholders would be considered for an informed decision to be made on the matter and the ministry’s decision would be communicated to the public.