Parking of Freight Vehicles in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana. It is also the only city on which national and International ground transportation routes converge, because of its location in the geographic centre of the country. By virtue of this Kumasi plays a unique role as an inland terminus for the collection and distribution of goods within and outside the country. The problem however, is that it appears the city does not have adequate facilities to accommodate and handle freight vehicles In the performance of its terminal and distribution functions. This article describes the findings of a study carried out to assess the extent and nature of the problems and their implications for public policy. The main method of study was by Interviewing a random sample of parked vehicle opera-tors and owners based on structured questionnaires. The major finding of the study is that there are no adequate parking facilities for freight vehicles in Kumasi, but there is a potential market demand for such services. The study establishes that there is a need to build a freight terminal in Kumasi and run on a commercial basis by a limited liability company. Keywords: freight vehicles, transportation, freight terminal, Kumasi