Effect of Speed Ramps on Pregnant Women: A Case Study of Travellers Along Kumasi-Cape Coast Highway

Abstract

A retrospective assessment of built environment could lead to the establishment of a connection between health outcomes and a specific intervention introduced over a period of time. A peculiar issue of concern in the transportation industry is the spring up of speed calming devices without the institution of a strict monitoring and evaluation team to control driver maneouver aimed at progressively building self-explaining roads. Speed ramps on highways do not only contribute to congestion, air and noise pollution in the environment but are also a major source of vibration hazard to vehicle occupants. Pregnant vehicle occupants are susceptible to a number of fluctuating ramp-induced vibrations which is a potential source of pregnancy complications. The intent of this paper is to assess the extent of detriment that speed ramps have on pregnant women based on empirical evidence. To address these issues, the research design ultilises a survey instrument devised to solicit respondents’ perceptions and realities about the consequence of speed ramps on pregnant women. Data were collected from selected communities with different socioeconomic characteristics and agoraphobic demeanour in order to understand the speed ramp interventions and its likened unpleasant happenings. These data are quantitatively analysed to examine how speed ramps have influenced the maternal health of two cohorts of reproductive women. There is a relation between the gestational periods and the kind of ordeals experienced by the affected pregnant occupants. The lessons learned from this study and the potential contributions to future road transport research are discussed herein.