The QBS, which started in October 2016, plying the Amasaman to Accra stretch, has been fraught with a lot of challenges, especially with the limited designated lanes.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tFTvAzVJfIEh2Y19WmyUhbzx3qEWXAWn”]Over 100 of the 245 Aayalolo buses imported into the country, were reported to be sitting idle since 2016, because other corridors which are supposed to be developed for the QBS are yet to be implemented.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, the GAPTE Communications Manager, Fred Tsidi said some government officials were expected to inspect the facility, located close to Madina on Friday.

“…So we are just ready for the Minister to come in tomorrow [Friday], to inspect the facility and after that, they will determine when we should roll out,” Mr. Tsidi stated.

45 buses are set to be deployed on the Adenta-Accra route, and it would be scaled up gradually, much like the Amasaman to Accra route, which started with 28 buses, but is now up to 58 buses.

The QBS also has plans to deploy from Kasoa to Accra, and is currently in talks with the Senya Municipal Assembly.

The Municipality has located a place around Kasoa where a construction company is used to keep its equipment.

“That is going to be the layover place for the Ayalolo buses. So with that, once we are able to secure that, then Kasoa should be able to roll out,” Mr. Tsidi disclosed.

Lanes’ needed to ensure quality

Mr. Tsidi also downplayed concerns that the Aayalolo buses were behaving like glorified trotros because they were not making use of dedicated lanes.

He insisted that the full benefit of the system will be realized if the encroachment on the designated lanes for the buses is halted, and the relevant government agencies, like the Ministry of Roads and Highways, will be key in solving this problem.

“They [government] would have to create those dedicated lanes for the buses to be deployed. Now if we have the buses sitting down there and if we want to assure people of the quality that we are promising, we need the dedicated lanes from the moving point to destination.”

The QBS was initially envisioned as part of a Bus Rapid Transport system, but the absence or lack of dedicated lanes meant it did not match up to that standard.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The study – funded by the government and industry – will track 2,500 11- and 12-year-olds from September.

It will look at their cognitive ability – thinking skills, memory and attention – and then repeat the tests in 2017.

The researchers say “very little” is known about what impact these technologies have on children.

The World Health Organization has said research in this area is of the “highest priority”.

More than 160 secondary schools in the outer London area will receive invitations to enrol pupils into the study.

Much of the research into mobile phone use has focused on adults and in particular, the risk of brain cancer. No evidence of harm has been established to date.

Nonetheless, NHS advice is that children under the age of 16 should use mobile phones only for essential purposes and, where possible, with hands-free kits.

Informed choices

The theory has been put forward that children’s brains may be more susceptible because they are still developing.

This research – led by Imperial College London – will put that idea to the test by asking children and their parents about their use of mobile phones and wireless devices, such as tablets, as well as analysing data from operators.

The 11-12 age group is particularly important as many children get mobiles at that age to coincide with starting secondary school. Some 70% of that age group now own a mobile.

Lead investigator Dr Mireille Toledano said: “The advice to parents is based on the precautionary principle given in absence of available evidence and not because we have evidence of any harmful effects.

“As mobile phones are a new and widespread technology central to our lives, carrying out the study is important in order to provide the evidence base with which to inform policy and through which parents and their children can make informed life choices.”

The researchers will now be writing to 160 secondary schools in the outer London area asking pupils to take part.

Source: BBC

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