TraffiTech-GH: Viewing enforcement as revenue tool derails road safety efforts – Sharif Khalid

Economic Advisor to the Office of the Vice President, Sharif Mahmud Khalid, has cautioned against treating the TraffiTech-GH automated traffic enforcement system as a revenue-generating tool, asserting that such an approach could jeopardize its essential road safety goals. He contended that the system's launch, timed ahead of the bustling Christmas season, indicated that authorities were more concerned with promoting public awareness and enhancing road discipline than generating profit from traffic fines.

During an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile on November 7, Mr Khalid emphasized that concentrating on the financial outcomes of the system could divert attention from the government's core aim of curbing reckless driving and enhancing road safety. "When you focus on it from a revenue point of view, it derails the effort of a government trying to instill safety and public sanity," he stated.

He argued that if the primary intention was to generate revenue through traffic fines, the authorities would have delayed the system's implementation until December, when traffic volumes and vehicle movement are anticipated to surge due to the festive Detty December celebrations. Mr Khalid noted that the responsible agencies had opted for November to boost public awareness before the peak festive season.

"Christmas period is the peak of all of this. But responsible as the implementation agencies are, they decide that a month to Christmas, November. Let’s try it to give some public awareness," he remarked. He further explained that a revenue-driven approach would have been more suitable if the system was launched in December, when the influx of vehicles might lead to a higher number of violations and fines.

"If it was for revenue purposes, they would just launch in December, when you have loads of cars on the streets. You have Detty December happening. Then you have numbers peaking. Then we can talk about it. But when you start things like this, and we start to look at it from a monetary point of view, it derails the effort," he added.

His remarks come as the public debate intensifies over the financial framework supporting TraffiTech-GH, particularly the revenue-sharing arrangement between the government and its private sector collaborators. The discussion has centered on whether linking the private operator's earnings to the revenue generated from traffic fines could foster incentives that clash with the program's primary focus on improving road safety.