When the Lights Go Out: Rain, Traffic, and the Urgency of Emergency Response

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By Richard Agodzo 

It is 5:00 a.m. on Monday, April 14. The rain has only just stopped, and the principal streets from Mallam Junction to Tetteh Quarshie Interchange are already buzzing with early morning commuters. But something is off — the streets are cloaked in dim light, and every traffic signal along the stretch is dead. From Nyamekye to Lapaz and Dzorwulu, it is a game of who dares and who brakes first. Cars inch forward. Others zoom in from different directions. Honking replaces the orderly blink of red, yellow, and green. It's chaos in motion.

  

As the rains descend on Accra and other parts of Ghana, power disruptions become a norm — and with them, the failure of traffic lights. What follows is not just inconvenience, but potential tragedy. Intersections become battlegrounds for confused and impatient drivers, many of whom seem to lose all sense of road etiquette. You watch them and wonder: are these drivers of sound mind?

Years ago, in what was considered a progressive move, major intersections in Accra were equipped with solar-powered traffic lights. It was a step in the right direction, meant to minimize dependence on the national grid and ensure constant operation even during blackouts. But today, many of those systems lie in ruin. At Bineyard, Nyamekye, Lapaz, and Dzorwulu, the solar panels are in a state of decay — either physically damaged, covered in dust, or completely disconnected. Once symbols of innovation, they now stand as monuments to neglect.

And yet, this is not just a tale of malfunctioning infrastructure. It is about human lives. Accidents caused by non-functioning traffic lights are not just unfortunate — they are preventable. But only if we act.

In the absence of working lights, the Ghana Police Service and the MTTD must be on high alert. There must be an emergency response protocol, especially during the rainy season when traffic disruptions are more frequent and more dangerous. It is unacceptable that key intersections are left unregulated in such times, leaving road users to their own instincts and tempers.

We urge the authorities to prioritize traffic management during power outages and weather-related challenges. Rehabilitate the solar infrastructure. Assign personnel to major junctions at peak times. Coordinate with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) if need be. Let us not wait for the next fatal crash to remind us that we could have done better.

Because when the lights go out, lives are at risk — and silence or inaction is not an option.


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