Accra: A dark skyline

Safety, Security, and Visibility for road users and commuters – These are some reasons why street lights are erected – be they along major roads or highways or even at street corners.

On most major roads in Accra, however streets lights are more like decorative pieces that serve no purpose – they are dysfunctional. For most drivers and commuters, it is almost normal to see a pitch-dark skyline with only head and tail lights of vehicles providing some visibility.

On a drive through some parts of the capital, it is evident that many roads have little or no illumination. RGG News went on a ride through Teshie to Ablekuma, through Osu, Ring Road, the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, through Awudome cemetery link, towards North Kaneshie, Darkuman and to Kwashieman, on the N1 highway.

Our vehicle then negotiated the turn onto the Awoshie-Pokuase highway. Head and Tail lights from vehicles on the road were the only source of light throughout the drive so far. Drivers have no option than to deal with poor visibility and the consequence? Your guess is as good as mine. So where are the street lights? Or the question should be where are the lights on the poles erected along the streets. Inadequate lighting on roads remain a major contributory factor in road crashes, says the National Road Safety Authority.

From their Statistics, over one thousand people lost their lives out of six thousand nine hundred and four reported cases of road crashes from January to June 2023. Over three thousand three hundred cases of road crashes were also recorded between January and March the same year.

The National Road Safety Authority points at inadequate street lighting on the roads, as one of the causes. Per its figures, over 30 percent of the accidents are caused by poor visibility. Several media reports have highlighted the urgent need for attention and some intervention to address this critical road safety issue.

However, these urgent calls to the authorities responsible are yet to receive the attention they need. It is a risky journey for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists who use the roads at night.

We ask, what does it take to make these decorative street lights perform the duty they were erected for in the first place?

Why put-up street light poles if they will serve their purpose only for a brief moment and almost in perpetuity remain white elephants.