New bridge, new habits – Police warn drivers to follow bridge lane rules

As Guyana opens the new Demerara Harbour Bridge, traffic officials are warning motorists that while the bridge promises smoother travel, old habits won’t fit the new system. Appearing on a recent Road Safety and You programme, Inspector Hayat Chunia, attached to Regional Division 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) Traffic Unit, said the new facility marks a major upgrade, but will demand discipline from drivers. He noted that the bridge’s new layout would change how commuters’ approach and exit, particularly for those travelling from LaGrange and the western side.

“The southern driving lane will make it into one-way as you exit off the bridge,” he said. “It’ll become one lane merging into one lane. Then, you proceed west off the Harbour Bridge, and you merge into one lane. You’re going east onto the bridge, you merge into a single lane, and then you’ll have a slight diversion onto the northern driving lane.” The old traffic arrangement, which involved directional lane changes during peak hours, will no longer be in effect.
“With the new river bridge now, as long as you come in west across the bridge, you remain in the two lanes,” Inspector Chunia explained. “As you approach the end of the bridge, you will merge into a single lane for now to proceed to the roundabout. Same thing as you go east across the bridge. So there’s no way that they’re going to be going back to the old ways.”

According to the inspector, the improved structure means no more bottlenecks or morning build-ups that once plagued commuters. “The old bridge used to have a double lane from 10 to 6, to 20 to 7 in the morning,” he said. “But with the new bridge, the traffic coming off the roundabout onto the bridge will merge into a single lane, and as they go onto the northern driving lane, they’ll get back to two lanes.” He also said the transition will eliminate the need for temporary lane conversions. The new bridge, he added, will allow drivers to maintain a steady speed across the span. “With this new approach now, as long as you enter onto the bridge, you just accelerate and drive. Eighty kilometres (km),” he said. Police officers will be stationed to guide motorists through the new routes. “We will have a system in place whereby cones and barriers will assist in the traffic,” he explained. “Police will be present to try to divert persons so that they will be familiar how to approach.” During the programme, National Road Safety Council (NRSC) Chairman Earl Lambert noted that this new setup would help curb the unruly behaviour often seen during rush hours. “Those who love boring, those who like coming from behind and then getting all of that, based on what the inspector is saying, the new road that is going to be put in place, it is going to accommodate the fastest movement,” he said. “Meaning that that lawless behaviour, I don’t think it will continue.” Lambert agreed, saying the bridge’s expanded design makes it easier to maintain order. “No, it [lawless behaviour] won’t,” he said. “Because it means that this is a wider bridge. It will be taking off two lanes. And the way our vehicles used to be using it, that will no longer be it. It’s easy to get on, faster getting on and getting off.” As the bridge opens, officers are also appealing to the public for patience and cooperation, particularly in the coming days when adjustments are still being made. “There’s still some work being done on the west side,” he said. “But it won’t prevent you from using the bridge. It’s just that there will be a new approach, the new way of doing business, because some people would have gotten accustomed to the old way.” While the new bridge signals progress, Inspector Chunia reminded motorists that safety remains a shared responsibility. “Allow the police to do their work,” he said. “Be patient. Because at the end of the day, we are all part of the traffic system. Traffic is all of [our] business.”