Abstract:
An effective transportation system is important in sustaining economic growth in contemporary
economies since it provides linkages between different parts of the country and the global world.
An efficient transportation system plays an important role in catering to the daily necessities in
the lives of the citizens. A well established transportation system is not only key to national
growth but also serves as a catalyst for economic development of a country. However, in recent
times, cities in the world have witnessed tremendous motorization. Owing to this high level of
motorization, combined with increasing population in the face of inadequate traffic management
strategies, modern-day cities have witnessed high traffic congestion. The Kasoa road, in the
Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly, is an example of one of such roads with periodic high
traffic congestion. This study was therefore conducted to assess the causes and effects of traffic
congestion and also its effect on road users.
The study used a mixed research approach where a survey was conducted to interview both
trotro drivers and commuters of trotro cars, and GPRTU officials were engaged in an in-depth
interview. While descriptive statistics were used to present the survey findings, content analysis
was used to present the interview findings. The results show that traffic congestion is primarily
caused by the large number of cars, poor nature of some part of the roads, and bad
parking/stopping by drivers among others. The causes and effects of traffic congestion on the
activities of private commercial drivers (trotro) were it reduces the number of trips they could
make in a day, increase fuel use and reduce daily sales. To passengers, it delays their time,
leading to low productivity, and is associated with other health effects, among many others. The
results point to the need for the rehabilitation of the road, construction of railway lines to serve as
alternative routes and use of other strategies for toll collection that will minimize the traffic on
the road.
