Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to highlight the frustration faced by drivers living on the western side of the Demerara River; that frustration can only be described as ‘nightmarish’.
During weekdays, a double lane is opened at 6am to allow traffic across the Demerara Harbour Bridge from the western side of the Demerara River. Vehicles coming from the southern side on the West Bank are required to join a separate line on the eastern side of the road leading up to the Harbour Bridge. However, some drivers choose to ignore the long line of vehicles, and instead drive almost to the front and cut in front of other vehicles.
The term ‘all men are equal but some men are more equal than others’ is applicable here.
I live in Wales, and am forced to leave my home at 5:50am with my six-year-old and eleven-year-old daughters just to ensure we reach our intended destination on time. You can imagine the daily struggle of getting two children ready so early in the morning. We then have to deal with drivers who have no regard for others, and would, instead of joining the line, drive up on the ‘side’ to cut in, particularly after the Old Road, La Grange. It is not just one vehicle that does this, which in turn creates a ripple effect, as that driver will then allow at least three other vehicles to join the line.
Consequently, the line going backwards from the Old Road is stalled and brought to a standstill. How can this be right and fair to us law-abiding drivers, who made sacrifices to leave our homes early?
What is even more frustrating is that a Police officer oftentimes sees what is happening, yet chooses to do nothing. It would seem that some Guyanese still have a colonial mentality, whereby we need an authoritative figure hovering over us to do the right thing; in this case, the Police. Hence, I would like to suggest that there be a greater Police presence (minimum of three officers) between Old Road La Grange and the junction at the Harbour Bridge to help with this situation.
Additionally, drivers who choose to ‘bore’ the line should be penalized.
It is my sincere hope that better is done by the Police to bring some order and relief to this situation.
Sincerely,
Rosemaria Appanah
