Built to Decline: Accra’s maintenance problem

The recent siting of a bus station across the Accra Mall, at the Tetteh Quarshie interchange, has given rise to a new wave of unwarranted hawker activities and its resulting sanitation issues in the area.

Surrounded by notable landmarks, including the Villagio Vista, African Regent Hotel, the Accra Mall and the City Galleria Mall, one would expect the design and sanitation standards of the newly opened bus station to match the existing architectural quality of the area - but that is not the case. Dilapidated stall structures, littered gutters, etc are what can be seen within and in front of the bus station.

To make matters worse, some vendors who sell within the station have resorted to hawking their goods on the busy street dividing the mall and bus station, giving the area the look of a typical commercial market.

Admittedly, a bus station and a number of small businesses operated in the area long before the recent additions. Though that bus station did not aesthetically veer from our characteristic bus stations, it was not in plain view like the current one.

Also, the traders who sold within the interchange were better as far as organisation and sanitation were concerned, shaping the environment into an urbanised commercial hub. But the same cannot be said about the present state of this new bus station and its new crop of hawkers. The place is beginning to look disorganised and impoverished, a result of Ghana's country planning problem.

With respect to bus stations, lands are not strategically designated for their construction - the reason why they are moved to unsuitable and temporary locations to make way for other building constructions. Then again, there are no design standards for them.

A lack of shelter, waste bins, irregular waste collection, inadequate restroom facilities, unpaved grounds, gridlock parking among other things are common features of bus stations in Ghana. Despite these glaring issues, the bigger issue is how these problems do not seem to be a matter of concern, especially to people in authority.

The Tetteh Quarshie interchange, aside from being named after the man who brought cocoa to Ghana, is a strategic infrastructure that links to Tema Motorway and the Liberation Road from Accra Central; it also connects Dzorwulu to Kasoa through to the Central Region and beyond; Legon to Adenta through to the Eastern Region and other regions.

Given this, an interchange of this quality and functionality must not be left to deteriorate by our attitude of negligence. It is therefore necessary for the bus station to be upgraded to meet the infrastructural standard of the interchange, if it was indeed authorised to operate there.

A fitting bus station for that site must have a well-paved yard, modern seating and shelter provided for passengers, an adequate number of clean, accessible yet modern restrooms, waste bins, scheduled cleaning and waste collection, ramps for assisting persons with disabilities, separate pedestrian and vehicle paths, and good lighting.

Additionally, vending within the yard must be regulated to a select few who will be held to high standards of cleanliness. Implementing these will harmonise the bus station with the infrastructural quality of the area as well as set an example for bus station design in this country.

The state of the bus station and its environs are a reflection of some shortcomings of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). Their commitment to infrastructural development does not seem to exceed construction periods and inaugural ceremonies.

Neither do they consistently enforce bye-laws meant to promote and protect development. Due to this, citizens have lost regard for these laws, contributing to sanitation problems and infrastructure decay. To stop these problems, the MMDAs must set a budget aside for maintenance from the day a public facility opens.

Alongside this, clear laws on littering, waste collection and street vending must be passed, with penalties for breach enforced consistently. These laws must also be precise about the grade of stalls and stands vendors must use at assigned places.

Finally, the work of MMDAs has to be assessed at regular intervals for consistency and effectiveness, so as to promote accountability. It is in steadily implementing these steps that will advance the lifespan of public facilities and protect our economic investments.