The Mayor of Accra, Michael Allotey, says he is reviving the Red Line initiative to tackle the chaos on the city’s streets and promises this time, it will not fail.
“So I’m going to have a red line, which former Mayor Alfred Okoe Vanderpuye did,” he said on PM Express.
“I’m going to have a similar Red Line tomorrow [Thursday, May 21]. So they’re going to stay behind the line, and the leaders will control them.”
Mayor Allotey says this new approach is different because he is working directly with market women and making them central to the process.
“I promise one thing, I’m going to work with a market woman,” he said. “You see, today during the decongestion exercise, the market women understood that we have to fix this.”
He noted that the failure of past attempts was partly because mayors ignored the knowledge and influence of the traders themselves.
“It is a problem that most of the time, the Mayors don’t deal with the market women directly. But this time, I’m dealing with them, and they know the problem, because they are in there, and they know how to go about them.”
The Mayor revealed that the traders themselves suggested the solution.
“They have told me what they want me to do for them, and this is what I’m going to do for them. One, they want me to have leaders from their camp. Maybe I’ll pick four or five of them to be their leader.”
He promised that this initiative is not just another short-lived campaign.
“It’s not something that’s another nine-day wonder thing, but it’s something that has come to stay, and I want it to stay because it’s something I want to do, such that if I’m no more the mayor, it’s one of the things I want to leave behind. For a legacy to be that when the mayor said he will clear the road, he made sure he left the road clear.”
When host Evans Mensah pointed out that the previous Red Line under Vanderpuye did not hold, the Mayor admitted the flaws in the old system and outlined a more forceful plan.
“We need men to guide the red line,” he said. “But the only thing we did at that time was we just picked the people from the market women and the market men to guide the red line.”
“This time, I’m bringing over 1000 youth to run day and night.”
He tied the effort to the NDC’s 24-hour economy vision, stating that Accra will lead the way.
“The 24-hour economy policy, I want it to start from AMA. AMA is going to start 24-hour ticketing, clearing refuse, putting a task force in place, etc. Everything will be on 24 hours. We’re going to work to make sure the city stays alive until morning.”
Mayor Allotey stressed that this time, the city’s transformation will be sustained. “So, this time is not something that is like previously, no.”
