The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has warned that it will take legal action against local assemblies that permit the erection of billboards on road medians.
The warning comes after a clearance exercise in the Ayawaso West Municipality on Tuesday, during which the Authority removed several billboards and other structures it said were obstructing drivers’ visibility and increasing the risk of accidents and pedestrian knockdowns.
Acting Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, said assemblies had ignored repeated directives to remove such billboards, forcing the Authority to intervene.
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“We are hearing from advertisers that it is the assemblies who grant them approval. Any assembly that allows these billboards will be sued for engaging in an unlawful act,” he stressed.
Mr. Amaliba further explained that advertisers will be required to pay administrative fees before reclaiming their signboards, while unclaimed ones will be auctioned.
“The law requires billboard owners to compensate the Authority for removal costs. We will notify them to identify and retrieve their billboards after paying the fees. If they fail to claim them, the Authority will auction the billboards to recover costs,” he added.
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem