Drivers block Bawdie-Asankragwa road to begin month-long demonstration; cite Assin North

Drivers who ply the main Bawdie to Asankragwa road in the Western Region have begun a month-long demonstration to register their anger over the poor nature of the stretch.

The drivers, led by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU, on Monday morning blocked the main road, preventing the movement of any vehicle.

Speaking in an interview on Connect FM, GPRTU Chairman for the area Edward Miller, popularly known as Odaade, indicated that all efforts to get the attention of authorities to fix the road over the years have proven unsuccessful and as such they believe demonstration is the only solution.

“The demonstration will take up to a month. We are not stopping anytime soon until the road is fixed. The rainy season has worsened the situation and we are facing challenges on the road as drivers. We have consulted all the DCEs in Amenfi Central and Amenfi West but it appears they have no solution for us so we have blocked the road,” he told Wofa Ato.

The stretch, which used to be covered within 40 minutes, now takes 3 hours. This has increased the transport fare from GH¢12 to GH¢40 due to its poor nature.

According to the chairman, government representatives in the area have told them to exercise restraint as the road will be fixed after the rainy season.

“They keep saying the road will be fixed after the rainy season but that is a lie. When they needed votes in Assin North, they were able to construct their roads in the rainy season so why is it becoming a challenge to fix ours? They are only trying to play with our conscience but we will not agree,” he added.

Passengers could be seen trekking on the road.

The drivers have mounted barriers on the road and burned car tyres to register their anger.