Edward Puowele Karbo

Bicycle Traffic in Tamale

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RECOMMENDATIONS

These have been considered under long and short term recommendations. Long-term recommendations are those which would take longer than five years to implement. Short term recommendations are those of being completed within five years.

1. Long term policy must seek to consider and relate the bicycle as an important component of the overall land use and transportation strategy in the area. In the light of this the recently established Ghana Highway Authority should give bicycle a serious consideration, with the view to coming out with an overall National Transport policy. This policy should provide for all modes of travel both at the regional and urban levels. One of the main obstacles to the use of the bicycle in the urban area, is the fact that the cyclist faces greater accident risks. This National policy should include the necessary legislation to protect cyclists and pedestrians.
2. Other long-term measures include the following:
   1. A proposed expansion and redevelopment of the central area which should provide for adequate parking. In this connection, it is proposed that a shopping corridor should be created to link the old market and the new market. This would give a compact civic centre and aid the orderly movement of people in the centre. It would also solve the problem of lack of room for expansion of the old market.
   2. Petty traders should be eliminated from the pavements through legislation, by laws and proper enforcement if provision of sites for them in the market still cannot eleminate them.
   3. It is proposed to pedestrianise use the Revoli lane. The location of kiosks should take advantage of this pededestrian route.
   4. As a long term measure an educational programme to educate the pedestrian and the cyclist to accept the responsibllity for selfprotection should be instituted. The various information media, and the educational institutions should be involved in the program.

The following short term measures are recommended.

1. Traffic management control devices should be improved. In order that these would be respected by road users, they must be placed in such a way as to be conspicous to road users, and must convey a simple and clear meaning.
2. Although one cannot be rigid about the actual location of the bicycle hiring stations the following guidelines have been suggested
   1. they must not be too close to major routes.
   2. They should be near transport interchange points.
3. The spatial segregation of the pedestrian from the motor vehicle is recommended along the following routes: The Kumbungu road, Dagomba road the Revoli road and the Bolga road.

4. Parking restrictions should be imposed on Tamale-Solaga road, and the Swinger's Spot road.
5. The existing location of the bicycle hiring stations are considered appropriate as long as they are not too close to the roads.
6. The location of hiring stations for children should be made part of the overall provision of children's play areas. These should be in residential areas free from vehicular traffic.
7. Proposed Bicycle network The salient features are indicated in Figure 23, it has the following characteristics:
   1. cycle lanes should be provided on all the major transportation routes leading to the centre of the town
   2. These cycle lanes may safely be combined with major pedestrian routes.
   3. Where cycle lanes cross the major strees they should be adequate controlled.
   4. Where possible cycle lanes should lead directly to the market and other places of employment.

8. Finally, the Omnibus Service Authority should extend its services to all parts of the town. Their operations at present is restricted to the educational ridge: The Regional hospital and the Municipal area should be served ty public transport.

As has been shown, cycle traffic is heaviest in the fully developed area where the difficulty of providing effective segregation is at its highest. It would therefore seem impracticable to provide cycle traces in the town centre. This does not have to be the case, because as pointed out earlier advantage would have to be taken of the redevelopement exercise in the Central area to secure cycle tracks. With regard to future cycle tracks, are considered necessary on roads where the flow of cyclists is likely to exceed 1500 (Kelvin Linych: Site Planning. 2nd Ed. M. I. T. Press pp. 139-140 Although American volumes may be, little higher than ours it is considered appropriate for our purpose.) per day.

With regard to the width of cycle tracks the estimation is made. If we accept the fact that moving pedestrian occupies 10 square feet (Eric Claxton: "Bicycle and Pedestrian problems are discussed  Traffic Safety A National Safety Council Publication November, 1974 pp. 16-17) of space and takes 18 minutes to walk a mile, he uses up 10 square feet for 18 minutes of available space call this one pedestrian unfit. A cyclist in a similar way uses 360 square feet or two pedestrian units. Assuming that the width of an average human being is 3' we can see that the average width of a bicycle track would be 6' based on the above reasoning. Allowing for pedestrians also using the lane, the accepted width would be 9 ft This gives a right of way in the centre of between 38' and 40'.