Check activities of tricycle operators  

Tricycles, also known as ‘Pragya,’ have recently gained popularity as a form of public transportation in both urban and rural areas.

The use of “Pragya,” is an im­portant source of employment for people in Accra, Kumasi, Ho, Cape Coast, Tamale, Bolgatanga, and other places.

Some commuters find it simple to patronise ‘Pragya’ as a mode of transportation because, in their opinion, it is inexpensive, easily ac­cessible, and quick on the road due to riders’ ease in navigating through automobile traffic. However, many commuters and drivers now find the annoyances that tricycles create on busy roads to be unsafe as well.

Therefore, it urges the government to act quickly to either put a stop to their actions or to regulate them in order to restore order to the system.

Tricycles are widely used in In­dia, China, France, the Philippines and Nigeria among others.

They are sometimes used to transport farm produce to mar­kets to lower post-harvest losses. Others use tricycles for recreation, shopping, and exercise.

Even though they are little, tri­cycles have emerged as the “Kings of the Road” and are ubiquitous.

However, are their practices legal? Something that began as a little business around three years ago is steadily growing, and if it is not checked, the tricycle will eventu­ally cover the entire community, mostly the cities.

Despite the fact that it has had a tremendous impact on transpor­tation, its operations need to be regulated for safety reasons.

Some have suggested legalising it as a form of transportation to lower crime rates, as it has created employment for the youth.

At the moment, the legislation restricts the use of tricycles for commercial purposes rather than supporting it.

First of all, according to Regu­lation 128 (1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act LI 2180, the use of a motorbike or tricycle for a commer­cial purpose is prohibited.

It further states that motorbike or tricycle cannot be registered by the licens­ing authority to transport fare-pay­ing passengers.

Section 128 (2) states that except for courier and delivery services, no one may use or permit the use of a motorcycle or a tricy­cle over which they have control for commercial purposes.

Also, Section 128 (3) establishes that no one may travel on a motor­bike or a tricycle in exchange for a fare. Lastly, a person who violates Sub regulations (1), (2), or (3) commits an offense and is subject to a fine of up to 25 penalty units, a period of imprisonment of up to 30 days, or both upon summary conviction.

The operators passionately opposed recent attempts by the authorities to restrict the move­ment of these tricycles in metropol­itan areas since, in their opinion, it provided a living for them and their families.

Even if tricycles are now a com­mon mode of transportation, it is important to remember that some riders lack discipline: they break the law, do not follow the laws of the road, and ride carelessly and recklessly, which result in fatal accidents.

Aside from the fact that they are not particularly heavy, tricycles lack safety doors, and their riders annoy law-abiding road users.

Despite these difficulties, com­muters frequently use tricycles, hence urgent action must be taken by the government to resolve these problems.

According to the current state of affairs, it appears that the govern­ment has to alter the law to make tricycle use legal while also enforc­ing rider behaviour restrictions.

In order to bring order to the system, stakeholders including the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA), Transport Unions and Tricy­cle Operators among others should have a forum to discuss a policy framework that will regulate the actions of these tricycle operators.