In a series of protests that have created considerable inconveniences, tricycle operators in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital, have blocked major roadways. The tricycle operators are intensifying their protests in order to have the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly lift a restriction on their operations in Kumasi’s Central Business District. Since the prohibition went into effect last week, the generally peaceful streets of the Ashanti Region’s towns and cities have become a fight between tricycle operators and local officials.
The tricycle operators have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with some restrictions and practices that have hampered their freedom of operation. Residents and businesses in the area have been caught in the crossfire, experiencing significant delays and disturbances in their daily lives.
Six police officers were injured in a skirmish between the police and tricycle operators in Kumasi on Tuesday. The cops were summoned by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to restore order after tricycle operators surrounded the KMA offices in an attempt to rescue their seized tricycles. The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has threatened to continue cracking down on tricycle riders in Kumasi’s core business district. On July 25, the KMA began implementing its ban on tricycles, also known as aboboya and was met with vehement opposition from operators.
On August 1, more than ten rebellious operators were arrested, infuriating other operators and resulting in a brawl between the metropolitan police and operators.+- Randy Wilson, the Assembly’s head of transport, stated on Eyewitness News on Citi FM that the Assembly is committed to halting the activities of tricycle operators, which he claims are hampering commercial activities in the central business area. “We have intelligence that the tricycle operators are planning to mass up tomorrow to fight the authorities,” he claimed.
Ashantibiz
Ashantibiz
