Research On Parking Planning And Policy In The CBD Of Accra, Ghana.

Transportation is the engine of growth and the bedrock to the rapid development of every country or economy. Therefore, various components that constitute the transportation system must be considered with a unique seriousness to make it more effective and efficient. In recent decades the rate of vehicle acquisition has been on the ascendency. Owing an automobile to others has gone beyond the stage of a luxury to a necessity. However, considering the number of hours these vehicles remain parked outstrips the total number of hours these vehicles are in motion. This therefore buttress the fact that parking is a vital component of the transportation system especially urban transportation were land is limited and land values are high, predominantly in the CBD. Parking allocation in the CBD has remained a challenge for most developing countries such as Ghana. Most CBDs in the big cities of Ghana pay little attention to parking supply and demand, therefore these areas are constantly choked with vehicles parked on the streets leading to chronic traffic congestions.The rationale for the research considers the parking planning policy in the CBD of Accra and its accompanying traffic congestion. Does the insufficient nature of available parking lots contribute to the traffic congestion in the CBD and is there any parking policy guiding the provision of parking space in the CBD as well as its management, a bit of rhetorical questions on the parking situation in the CBD of Accra, Ghana. It was discovered that there is no parking policy in Ghana but a parking regulation. Within the CBD of Accra, Ghana, there are few off-street parking facilities of which some are privately owned. Also, the publicly owned parking lots which are mostly managed by the AMA(provision of parking spaces) have been overtaken by commercial vehicle and hawkers/vendors.Despite the fact that an on-street parking scheme was introduced by the AMA to foresee and regulate unauthorized parking especially on the streets, vehicle owners overlook the scheme and park haphazardly on the streets. This scheme has not been very effective in solving the parking deficit in the CBD and as well has not helped in curbing traffic congestion in the CBD.Field observation and questionnaires were administered to private and commercial drivers and on the other hand secondary data were gathered from journals, books, news, internet and so on. Based on the information gathered and the analysis conducted on the data gathered and the findings arrived at, we recommend that a comprehensive parking policy be enacted in Ghana especially in Accra and this policy must come with a strict management system. More private companies should collaborate with government agencies such as the AMA to invest in parking for this sector can be lucrative and as well offer employment opportunities to the citizenry. Parking should not only be seen as a privilege but a right and it is only when this is considered that the necessary attention will be drawn to it by governments, planners, engineers transport agencies and departments, and development agencies. Inasmuch as people need to move around using motorized or non-motorized transport every day of their lives, parking must be tremendously considered.