President John Dramani Mahama has responded to growing concerns over fines imposed under Ghana’s newly introduced TraffiTech-GH automated traffic enforcement system, urging motorists unhappy with the penalties to simply obey speed limits.
Speaking to 1957 News on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Jumby Bay Island in Antigua and Barbuda, the President addressed public concerns about the cost and fairness of the fines.
“If it [fines] is too expensive, then don’t overspeed; that’s all, there is a solution to it,” Mahama stated.
Some motorists have criticised the introduction of the technology, arguing that authorities should first improve road infrastructure across the country before implementing strict automated traffic enforcement.
However, President Mahama dismissed the argument, pointing to the United Kingdom as an example of a country where speed cameras operate despite imperfections in its road network.
“The roads are not perfect in the UK, and yet they have speed cameras,” he said.
He stressed that road infrastructure development and traffic law enforcement could be pursued simultaneously rather than treating them as competing priorities.
The President further disclosed that TraffiTech-GH was currently focused on detecting overspeeding, with additional traffic offences expected to be included in the system in the future.
“My understanding is that TraffiTech has begun with overspeeding; they have not yet added the other components of jumping red light, parking wrongly,” he explained.
His comments suggest that the automated enforcement system could eventually cover more traffic violations, including running red lights and illegal parking, as authorities expand its operations.
