An Assessment of Traffic Congestion and Its Effect on Productivity in Urban Ghana
Takyi Harriet, Kofi Poku, Anin Kwabena Emmanuel

Abstract
Whereas traffic congestion disrupts business activities and reduces productivity level, research has shown that it may also be a symbol of growth in an economy. As the economy grows and real income of household increases, vehicle population surges up, contributing to traffic congestion, particularly within cities. Given the critical importance of productivity on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, it is economically worthwhile, and of policy importance to recognize the deleterious effect of traffic congestion on productivity. This study attempts to assess the extent to which congestion affects worker productivity. The study focuses on the transportation system in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Kumasi was chosen for the research due to its strategic location as a transit point to the north, south, central and western parts of Ghana, which makes it prone to traffic congestion. The study adopted survey strategy on five major road links in the metropolis. Primary data was collected using questionnaire instrument. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results from the analysis indicated that mobility in Kumasi Metropolis is restricted due to congestion, causing excessive travel delays, particularly, during peak hours and negatively affecting productivity. Therefore, expanding transport infrastructure as well as improvement in the traffic management and control system should be given attention to improve the transportation system in the metropolis. This would enhance worker productivity and ultimately increase GDP.

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