Petty traders using containers converted into kiosks have taken over pavements in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
The same situation which led to massive decongestion in the metropolis in 2007-2008 has now assumed an alarming proportion, making driving and the movement of pedestrians very difficult.
From the Ahenfie Hotel towards the Railways quarters, there is no pavement as petty traders have taken over, while from the National Investment Bank traffic light towards the Market Circle, it is trading galore on both sides of the road.
From the Sekondi Taxi Rank towards the Presby Church, there is serious trading on both sides, and the same could be said of the Collins Avenue and other parts of the metropolis where serious business takes place.
Another aspect that makes the situation very nasty is that many concrete slabs used to cover the drains are broken and are yet to attract the attention of the metro authorities or the responsible unit of the assembly.
Where there are metal covers, some have been stolen, while the rest have become rusty and are a potential danger to pedestrians.
That aside, the new phenomenon is that, hawkers have devised a new way of marketing their wares by displaying them on “metal trucks” normally used in carrying loads which they push round the market to attract customers
When the new metropolitan chief executive was appointed, he took the initiative to clear the central business district of traders, but a year down the line the number of traders had increased.
According to those selling on the pavements, the metro officers compelled them to pay official tolls and, therefore, they had every right to be where they were.
In some parts of the metropolis, hawkers even put their seats on the streets while they display their wares on the pavement.
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), during the 2007-2008 decongestion, spent an unspecified amount of money pulling down all unauthorised structures sited all over the metropolis.
The “metal trucks” serving as mobile marketing facilities were seized and there was order as pedestrians could move freely without sharing the street dangerously with vehicles.
In 2009, after the declaration of war on filth by the President of the Republic, the military, the police, prison officers and prisoners joined the metropolitan assembly to carry out a clean-up exercise.
But the STMA has failed to maintain the exercise and the city, experiencing increasing number of visitors and the relocation of businesses has become more congested than before.
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