I have driven on Accra roads for over 25 years to boldly share my observation that, on a typical morning in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, vehicular traffic is not just heavy. It is actually layered.
I see cars holding their lanes as best as they can. I see buses edging forward when space opens up. We in private vehicles do same, but mostly (debatable) with more carefulness than the commercial drivers.
Pedestrians dangerously walk or run through those small gaps that never fully feel safe. And in between all of this, motorcycles move like they are following their own invisible map: slipping through spaces that were not really designed for them, but somehow accommodate them anyway.
If you don’t allow them to pass, you either get an insult from them or get your car scratched or dented.
This is not unusual anymore. It is the normal rhythm of the Accra roads. I am sure other cities in the country experience same. And that is where the real question sits: if motorcycles already move as a distinct flow in traffic, why hasn’t the road system been designed to reflect that reality?
A recurring idea that never quite arrives
As a journalist (though not in active service) and an experienced marketing and strategic communications consultant, I have observed with keen interest how every now and then, the conversation comes up, especially in policy discussions and/or road safety debates: the idea of dedicated or clearly demarcated motorcycle lanes.
Sometimes it is described as separate lanes for motorcycles. Sometimes as clearly marked corridors, possibly even colour-coded, to make movement more structured and predictable. I saw this for the first time in Europe, specifically in Germany and Netherlands in the year 2003 when I travelled to Bonn, Germany for a training programme organised by DW Akademie. I was then a deputy news editor at Choice FM. The station is no more. Well, we paid our dues to the inky profession. That will feature in my memoirs one day.
The reasoning for the proposed demarcation is simple enough. If motorcycles are part of the traffic mix, and a growing part of it, then separating them from heavier vehicles could reduce conflict on the road, and by large, prevent accidents.
I observe with concerns that despite how often the idea appears in discussion, it has not taken shape on the ground in any clear, consistent way.
So the question is not really whether the idea exists. It is why it has stayed in the conversation phase for so long. I am not sure I have the answers. But as a citizen, I am allowed to ask questions and make suggestions, so help me God.
What the idea is trying to solve
To understand why people even raise the issue of motorcycle lanes, I think you only need to spend a
short time in city traffic.
Motorcycles are everywhere now. They are an everyday sight in most parts of Ghana, Accra being the most prominent. They are used for commuting, deliveries, and transport services of all kind. They move quickly, often weaving through congestion because that is the only way to stay efficient
in slow traffic.
But that movement also creates tension in shared space, with sudden lane changes, close passes between larger vehicles, uncertainty about right of way, and constant interaction between very different types of road users.
So the idea of separating motorcycles is not really about innovation. It is about order. Or at least,
trying to create some structure in a system that already feels improvised.
The lived reality on the road
I think I say this for many drivers as a driver also, that the challenge is not only congestion; it is
unpredictability.
There are moments in traffic when motorcycles suddenly appear from behind or from the side, cutting across lanes already occupied by cars that are moving steadily or waiting their turn.
Even when a driver clearly has the right of way, there are situations where avoiding a collision means giving way anyway, sometimes by swerving slightly toward the shoulder or edge of the road just to create space. And we know the dangers and discomfort this comes with.
In tight traffic conditions, this becomes a recurring experience rather than an exception. And it goes
without saying that it is a nuisance and a danger.
There are also incidents where motorcycles come very close to vehicles, occasionally brushing against them, sometimes leading to scratched paintwork or broken side mirrors. In most cases, it happens quickly and without time for reaction, especially when riders are trying to move through congestion as fast as possible.
Another common experience drivers describe is how difficult it can be to even detect motorcycles approaching in traffic. The sound of engines, often loud and sudden in close range, can appear before the bike itself is visible, creating a brief moment of surprise or concern in already crowded conditions.
And when minor contact or near-misses happen, there is often no easy way to follow up, especially in heavy traffic where riders may simply continue moving without stopping.
They instantly disappear out of sight, and the driver is left with a scratch on their car; a cost they must fix or have their cars remain deformed.
These experiences vary from situation to situation, but together they shape how many road users
perceive everyday traffic: fast, tight, and often unpredictable.
Why hasn’t it happened?
I have done my checks and if I did a good work, which I believe I did, so I am confident to say there is no single answer. And that is probably part of the reason. As to why it is so, I am not in the position to state.
One issue is simply physical space. Many urban roads were not designed with lane separation in mind beyond basic car traffic.
Adding an entirely new layer for motorcycles is not always straightforward without major redesign or expansion. But can we not start looking at this as a major component of new road construction works? How about piloting these demarcations in parts of the city of Accra?
Then there is enforcement. Road systems depend not just on markings, but on compliance. Even existing road rules are sometimes, if not regularly stretched in practice; so introducing new lane systems raises questions about whether they would be respected consistently.
There is also the bigger policy environment around motorcycles themselves. The regulation of commercial motorcycle transport has been evolving over time, and infrastructure usually follows policy clarity. When the policy space is still shifting, major design changes tend to move slowly.
And of course, there are competing priorities. Road budgets and urban planning decisions are constantly divided between expansion, maintenance, drainage, congestion management, and safety improvements across the whole system. Again, I am not an authority to dive deep into these dynamics. So I will leave that here for the technocrats to do their work. But we need answers and solutions.
None of the aforementioned reasons alone fully explains the absence of dedicated motorcycle lanes.
But together, they show a system that is still adjusting to how transport actually works today.
The uncomfortable reality on the road
Let me state emphatically that what stands out most as seen in my own lenses is that, the absence of design does not mean the absence of behaviour. Why do I say so? From clear observation, motorcycles already operate like a separate flow in traffic.
They have their own rhythm, their own shortcuts, and their own survival strategies in congestion. So in a way, the road has already adapted informally. It just has not been formally designed to match what is happening.
That gap between design and reality is where most of the tension sits. You see, when systems rely too heavily on informal adaptation, everything depends on individual judgement from drivers, riders, and pedestrians with everyone’s survival instincts and antenna high up with each person making split-second decisions in tight space.
And that is not always stable. It has not, and will never be. That fact is not debatable.
What is at stake if nothing changes?
This is where the conversation often becomes uncomfortable, because it stops being about ideas and starts being about consequences, which by all standards, are dire. Without clearer structure on the road, the system continues to rely on improvisation.
That might work in the short term for a few lawless people, but it raises longer-term questions about
sustainability in growing cities, such as Accra.
How long can a traffic system rely on informal coordination before it becomes too unpredictable? At what point does “everyone knows how to navigate it” stop being enough? And what does it mean for urban planning when the lived reality of traffic is very different from the way the roads are designed on paper? These are not technical questions.
They are practical ones that every Ghanaian or resident in Accra especially should ask, and I am doing mine in this piece.
Why this question is coming up again now
The reason the idea of motorcycle lanes keeps returning is not because it is new. It is because conditions are changing.
Cities are busier. Motorcycles are more common in transport and delivery systems. Traffic congestion is more intense and more frequent.
At the same time, there is increasing pressure to make roads safer and more predictable for all
users. So even if the idea of dedicated lanes is not new, the urgency around road structure feels different
now.
Let me ask to the discomfort and probably the annoyance of some organisations. Why don’t we tax the organisations who use these motorcycles for commercial purposes like delivery services, etc? I will leave that to policy makers, city planners and the technocrats.
Not a final answer; but an open question
In conclusion, it is important to be clear: dedicated motorcycle lanes are not a simple fix. They come with design, cost, enforcement, and space challenges.
And any serious proposal would need careful planning, not quick decisions. But the absence of action keeps the question alive.
READ ALSO: Ghana’s Digital Ghost Towns: Why Government Systems Are Built but Not Used
This is because on the road, the system is already functioning in a mixed way: formal lanes on paper, informal movement in practice. And that gap is what makes the issue worth revisiting.
So maybe the question is not just whether Ghana should implement dedicated motorcycle lanes. For me I tilt towards this question: What kind of road system are we actually building? One that reflects how traffic is supposed to work, or one that quietly accepts how it already does?
For now, I have shared my views, observations and what I wish to see so that Accra roads will be safer for me as a regular road user, and for other users. Let the discourse continue.
Written by Samuel Ato Afful
Corporate Affairs and Strategic Communications Consultant
Tel: +233504607494, +233553236877
Email: sammyafful@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Samuel Ato Afful (www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-ato-afful-6344461a6)
