Some speed limits are “unusually low”; specialists need to re-look at them – Jagdeo

Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has admitted that some of the speed limits established for various roadways are “unusually low” and suggested that the “specialists” re-look at them.
“You don’t want to go overboard in any direction. So, speed limits that are safe, but don’t become so cumbersome that everyone will get charge because they are so unusually low on a highway,” the VP said in response to questions during his press conference on Thursday.
However, he noted that this is something which specialists need to examine, not politicians.
Speed limits are currently set at 100 km/h on highways, 50–80 km/h on rural roads, and 50 km/h in urban areas. In 2009, the then Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, implemented the existing national speed limits.
Rohee at the time had said that the implementation of new speed limits was as a result of calls made by several members of the public. Organisations such as the National Road Safety Council, the National Commission on Law and Order (NCLO), Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and the Police Traffic Department, had participated in consultations.
The newly built Heroes Highway currently shows speed limits of 80km/h and under.
On April 7, the Government launched its e-ticketing system and within the first 12 hours, over 250 violations for speeding were recorded.
Almost $2 million in fines was generated by the state within those first 12 hours following the launch of the e-ticketing system countrywide.
According to President Dr Irfaan Ali’s April 7 social media update, there were 259 speeding violations; 29 for failure to wear seatbelts, and one for driving while using a mobile device. One driver, captured on radar at a dangerous 152 km/h along the East Coast, is already being summoned to court.
Traffic Chief Singh has told Guyana Times that there are two types of radar devices being used as part of the system, and drivers should not confuse them.
He explained that radar speed signs, which display a driver’s speed in real-time, serve as a traffic calming measure designed to encourage safer driving.
However, the speed cameras, which are part of the Safe Road Intelligent System (SRIS) Project, are mounted above and across roads and are responsible for automatically capturing speeding violations and generating tickets.
“The cameras, it’s two different things you’re seeing on the highway. One is a traffic calming measure which the speed radar sign and the speed cameras which are linked to the safe road intelligence system is mounted above and across the road… On the Covent Garden Road, you will see it across the road, it’s mounted above where you were driving. It’s not mounted parallel to where you’re driving. The thing that is parallel which is on a post and gives you an orange number based on the speed you’re traveling as a traffic calming measure. That’s a speed radar sign,” Singh explained.