The Government has withdrawn the controversial Legislative Instrument (L.I.) seeking to amend the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180).
This decision was announced by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah, on behalf of the Minister of Transport.
Addressing Parliament, Korsah cited significant public and stakeholder concerns as the primary reasons for the withdrawal.
“Mr Speaker, I rise to move that the Road Traffic Regulation Amendment 2024, which was laid on Friday, June 14, 2024, be withdrawn.
Mr. Speaker, this has become necessary based on extensive engagement with leadership. Therefore, it is so withdrawn,” he stated.
The proposed amendment soughted to grant MPs, Judges, Ministers, and other essential service members the privilege to use sirens and exempt them from speed limits during official duties, sparking substantial public backlash.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament, led by Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson, had been particularly vocal against the amendment.
Forson, in a statement dated July 16, 2024, urged the Transport Minister to withdraw the Instrument, further instructing NDC members to oppose it at the committee level and to vote against it en bloc.
This collective opposition, coupled with widespread public discontent, ultimately led to the government’s decision to retract the amendment.
