TrafficTech-GH: Government must ensure clear speed limits, fair enforcement – Victoria Bright

Private legal practitioner Victoria Bright has called on the government to ensure clear road signage and fair enforcement under the TraffiTech-GH automated traffic management system, insisting that road safety and accountability must go hand in hand.

She said although motorists had a responsibility to obey speed limits, government must ensure that the limits are clearly communicated and that technology-driven enforcement is accurate and fair.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Ms Bright said concerns about the implementation of TraffiTech-GH should not overshadow the need to address dangerous driving and road crashes.

“I don’t think that road safety and accountability should be at loggerheads with each other. They shouldn’t be. They should reinforce each other,” she said on Saturday, November 7.

She argued that poor road conditions should not be used to justify dangerous driving, while cautioning that the deployment of technology does not automatically guarantee fairness in enforcing traffic regulations.

“Poor roads don’t excuse dangerous driving. You know, we need to remember that. At the same time, technology does not also automatically guarantee fair enforcement,” she said.

Ms Bright stressed that motorists must understand their responsibility to comply with speed limits to help reduce road accidents.

However, she said government had a corresponding responsibility to ensure that speed limits were properly displayed, particularly in areas where speed cameras are installed.

She cited practices in other countries where motorists are given advance warnings when approaching speed-controlled zones, with clear signs indicating the applicable speed limits.

“Because in these countries, when you are approaching a speed camera, they warn you. It’s not like they are out to trick you. You know, they actually tell you that you are approaching a controlled speed area, and they tell you the speed limit. It’s very clear; you don’t have to second-guess it,” she said.

She therefore called for similar clarity in Ghana’s implementation of automated traffic enforcement, arguing that motorists should not be penalised for violating speed limits that are inadequately communicated.

Ms Bright maintained that while motorists must be held responsible for dangerous driving, enforcement must also meet standards of transparency, accuracy and fairness.

She said addressing concerns over signage and the operation of the system would help strengthen public confidence in TraffiTech-GH while advancing the broader objective of improving road safety.