Home News High rate of accidents: Speed bumps “aren’t the solution”, a cultural shift...
Through careful evaluation of speedbumps built along the roadways of Guyana, it has been deduced that the creation of these bumps will not entirely stop accidents from happening on the nation’s roadways.
This was underscored by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Thursday afternoon during a distribution of several high technology devices to the Guyan Police Force (GPF).
His assertion came following views by citizens voicing their opinion, stating that speed bumps would stop accidents.
His point came on a recent severe accident that took place on the newly built Cemetery Road.
In response to this the minister said that the true answer for road accidents is a change of culture – highlighting that persons should look at the bigger picture and cause for road accidents.
“Everybody seems to think that speed bumps are the solutions we need to have a change of culture, and change of behavior,” Edghill remarked.
Meanwhile, he noted that an accident has already occurred on the newly built Cemetery Road, highlighting the urgency for cultural change and expressing concern that a life could have been lost.
“You know we already have an accident on cemetery road? That accident on Cemetery Road could have been a serious one because the car crashed into a pedestrian bridge, it was under construction at the time so if people were walking on that bridge, it would’ve been dangerous…we have to enforce the law.”
He added, “I’m taking this opportunity to remind the GPF that perhaps we need to take some strong measure become the example and let the message get across and let us get a change in the culture.”
Meanwhile, whilst on the topic of alleviating road accidents, he pointed out, that there are scores of heavy-duty truck drivers that are driving through community neighborhoods, deteriorating the road, whilst also causing disruption to villagers.
“Truckers must know that they cannot abuse small community streets because they want to get to their destination faster when there is a traffic diversion,” Edghill stated.
He pointed this out as the road between the Rupert craig highway and the railway embankment on Ogle Road will be closed to facilitate the ongoing construction.
“We will need the help of the police force because part of the trouble that people are having is that whenever there is diversion of traffic, trucks are going into the smaller streets from this road that is closed trucks are supposed to go on the UG road, take the embankment and continue east and they could get back to the east coast highway,” he stated whilst giving other roads alternatives for this traffic diversion. (G2)
