The Asante Defence Force (ADF) and Asante Volunteer Security Association (AVOSA) have petitioned the government to reconsider its decision to legalize and regulate tricycle operations in the Kumasi Central Business District (CBD).
The group, in the petition available to Metro TV, said the introduction of tricycles, locally known as “Pragia,” would worsen the existing congestion in the city and pose a danger to citizens.
“We are broadly in support of the government’s attempt to stimulate economic growth and provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youth, nevertheless granting access for the operation of these Tricycles in the Kumasi CBD will on the contrary, stifle economic activity,” the group stated in their petition.
The ADF and AVOSA expressed concerns about the safety of pedestrians and the potential challenges it may pose to the Kumasi Mobility Project (KMAP), a World Bank-sponsored inner-city transport project.
The group is urging the government to reconsider its decision and spare Kumasi from the “Pragia menace.” They are also appealing to residents to support their petition for a healthy and prosperous Greater Kumasi.
“We sincerely hope that this government would dispassionately consider our petition and pull back on granting these Tricycles the authority to operate in the Kumasi Metropolis,” the petition added.
