01363056

Component

Ghana, a country situated on the west coast of Africa, is home to approximately 25 million people. Accra, the country’s most populous city with over 2 million residents, serves as the country’s political capital and economic center. Since gaining independence in 1957, Ghana has made significant investments in road infrastructure and services. Today, the city plays a central role in Ghana’s economy, allowing the products of Ghanaian agriculture to reach international markets. Road transportation makes up the vast majority of passenger and freight traffic in the country. Within the city of Accra, road transportation can include a range of modes such as trotros (mini-buses), taxis, private automobiles, trucks, bicycles, and walking. This paper discusses current street design practices and the specific challenges faced by designers and citizens in Accra. After providing background information on the city’s urban form, transportation and the agencies responsible for street design, case studies are conducted on three of Accra’s important thoroughfares to evaluate how current design practices, based on American and British standards, meet the needs of Accra’s citizens. Each of the selected roads, Ring Road, Kanda Highway, and Cantoment Road, serves a different purpose within Accra’s transportation network. The case studies revealed that pedestrians and other non-motorized transport (NMT) users are largely neglected by current design practices. By using standards which focus on vehicle capacity, Accra severely limits the options of its citizens, most of whom do not own vehicles. Ghana, and other developing countries, may benefit from creating local codes more sensitive to the unique challenges they face.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE90 Transportation in the Developing Countries

01362476

12-4565

English

16p

2012

Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; Photos; References

Case studies; Deficiencies; Developing countries; Nonmotorized transportation; Urban design

Accra (Ghana)

Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2012 Paper #12-4565

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2012 5:25PM