The Accra pilot Bus-Rapid Transit project: Transport-land use research study

Type Report
Title The Accra pilot Bus-Rapid Transit project: Transport-land use research study
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2010
URL http://mci.ei.columbia.edu/files/2013/03/Transport-Land-Use-Research-Study.pdf
Abstract
The Government of Ghana (GOG), having long highlighted the critical importance of transport services and
infrastructure in enabling economic growth and poverty reduction, initiated the Ghana Urban Transport
Project (GUTP) in 2008, together with the World Bank, the French Development Agency (l’Agence
Française de Développement) and the Global Environment Facility, in order to improve mass transport
services within the Greater Accra Metro Area (GAMA). The Accra Bus-Rapid Transit (BRT) is a part of this
effort, aiming to provide an efficient and affordable bus transit system that will be piloted in Ghana‟s two
largest cities: Accra, the nation‟s capital, and Kumasi, capital of the central Ashanti region.
In January 2010 the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI), a project of the Earth Institute, Columbia University,
entered into a joint initiative with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to assist the city of Accra in
their efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. In its research endeavours MCI is also
collaborating with the University of Ghana, Legon. .
This study employs an interdisciplinary approach to identify and quantify the various activities on urban
passenger transport in Accra. The study uses a combination of primary and secondary data gathering
including literature review, interviews with government officials and BRT pilot project representatives,
stakeholder meetings, land use and economic activity analysis and non-participatory observation. The intent
was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the issues, the BRT pilot project and opportunities within
Accra‟s urban transport system.
In order to better understand what kinds of interventions might best improve existing land use-transportation
synergies, this study assesses transportation challenges along a key node of one of Accra‟s main
transportation corridors, which will be used for the BRT. We augment existing data and analyses with
interviews and site analyses, in support of a set of planning and policy recommendations that the GUTP
might consider. This research project represents a consultative process between the MCI and the GUTP,
with the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) and the Urban Passenger Transport Union (UPTU) hopefully
benefiting from the data and urban planning analysis resulting from the study.
The pilot BRT project presents an opportunity to offer fast, comfortable and cost-effective urban mobility for
everyone. Our study focuses on a key sector of the pilot BRT corridor. The study site around Kaneshie was
chosen because it unlocks the potential of the BRT to alleviate major congestion, a general concern that
permeates many areas in Accra. Furthermore, this location serves as the economic center that supports the
city‟s overall economy, and as a pivotal transportation hub where all forms of transit converge.

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