As part of plans to decongest the city, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has adopted a Red Line Policy to restrict traders from selling within or beyond the demarcated zones.
The implementation of this policy saw the Mayor of Accra, Mr Michael Kpakpo Allotey, leading a team in an exercise on the dawn of Sunday to mark some designated areas in the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra with red lines.
During the exercise, areas such as the Liberty House branch of the GCB Bank PLC at Kantamanto, extending to the pavement along the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, were declared no-trading zones.
The Mayor said the Assembly extensively engaged the traders ahead of the exercise and gave them a grace period to discontinue trading activities in the demarcated areas.
He observed that the act of trading along the road was the major cause of congestion and disorder in the CBD, saying the Assembly would no longer tolerate it.
He lamented over the situation, saying it is worrying that some traders have spaces inside the market but move out to sell on the roads or pavements.
Mr Allotey said the exercise would run through the year, adding that the traders, who are allowed to trade near the red lines, should strictly stay within the approved zones.
The team that embarked on the exercise also used the opportunity to engage in a clean-up exercise in the areas they visited.
Bala Ali, ISD
