GNRSC advocates for reduction of speed limits in urban streets, school areas

The Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) has called for the speed limit for urban streets and school areas to be reduced to 30 kilometres per hour. This call was made during the launching of the United Nations global road safety week on Friday at the Home Affairs Ministry. The call by the GNRSC is to reduce road accidents and fatalities, especially among children.

Global road safety week will run from May 13 to 17 and is hosted by the World Health Organisation to highlight the benefits of low-speed limits on urban streets. The focus of this year is to encourage policymakers to drop speed limits to 30 kilometres an hour in cities where cyclists and pedestrians interact closely with car traffic.
As such, the GNRSC has stepped on board with this initiative and has called on the Government of Guyana to incorporate this strategy.

At the small ceremony, Engineer at the Public Works Ministry, Kester Hinds said that the Ministry has already taken a step to have the speed limit incorporated.
“What we have been embarking on in collaboration with the GNRSC is to explore the possibilities of ensuring that within these high traffic areas that we address those areas by not only effecting installations of speed calming measures… but to erect the 30km speed limit within those zones, primarily where schools are located.”
He added that he is hoping to have this addressed in a timely manner. Hinds said they are also in discussions with the Ministry of Education to ensure that the school areas are outfitted as a safe zone.

Meanwhile, Assistant Chief Education Officer and member of the National Road Safety Council, Carol Benn said for some time the Education Ministry has been trying to convince parents that schools are a safe zone, but most parents are concerned about the rate at which drivers traverse the streets.
She said it was only recently they were able to relaunch the road safety patrols at schools.
“We have had a little push back from some of our parents… we had a real task of trying to convince them that we will have things sorted out, we will be there for your children, we will not leave them alone because the Police will also be there along with their teachers…”, she said.
On the other hand, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn said he is aware of the risks imposed by speeding on the roadways and agrees that if the speed limits are lowered, fatalities and injuries will be lowered.
He added that the Ministry in collaboration with other stakeholders was so far able to reduce road fatalities, in keeping with the United Nations General Assembly’s second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
“For the last year, we have had for the first time a massive reduction in road traffic deaths… it dropped below 100 deaths for the entire for the first time in 16 years. This is a massive improvement given the fact that we have many more vehicles on the road, and many newer and younger drivers,” he said.
The Minister said they were also able to implement several mechanisms throughout Guyana through intended amendments to the legislation, education of the public and the Guyana Police Force, strengthening of public-private partnership, usage of Information and Communications Technology to complement the ambitious target of UN General Assembly by preventing 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
Benn further noted that apart from the amendment to the traffic legislation, which will impose more severe penalties and heavier fines on persons caught using our roadways in a lawless manner, several other preventative measures are in motion which will play an integral part in achieving safer roads for drivers and pedestrians.
“We have talked about increasing the fines, we’ve talked about putting in more speed bumps in particular areas, we’re talking about bringing in more speed guns, breathalysers, and wheel clamps. We are talking about number plate recognition for persons who may be involved in error behaviour…”, he explained. (G9)