Traffic situation on EBD needs better monitoring

Dear Editor,

With deep frustration and anger I pen this letter as I am seated at the eastern end of the Demerara Harbour Bridge waiting for the retraction to end.

I am aware that there are many commuters travelling to work on a daily basis, however, it seems that very little thought and consideration is given by the Police Traffic Department to commuters who live in Georgetown and work either in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Diamond or anywhere on the southern East Bank, etc.

In the mornings, traffic heading in the southern direction is hindered because one of the lanes is closed to accommodate traffic heading to Georgetown. Those cones are not removed until 08:15h, 08:20h or whenever the traffic Police see it fit. In the meantime, the southbound traffic is crawling, causing commuters on that end to be late for work or other important appointments on the West Side. This reason for being late for work may not be considered or accepted by one’s employer.

This is the case whether you leave home very early or not. In some instances, if you leave home for 07:15h, you have to deal with another stall at the Demerara Harbour Bridge since the traffic heading from Region Three has to be given priority even though the bridge is not retracting.

There are mornings when the bridge will be retracted at 08:30h, there seems to be no collaborated plan between Police Officers and management of the Harbour Bridge to address this frustrating situation. The traffic build up is great, the cones placed on the road remain until 08:20h. By this time the southern bound traffic moves a bit faster, only to be further frustrated by the Police Officers directing traffic at the intersection before the Bridge’s entrance (at the traffic lights), where they continue to give priority to the northern bound traffic even when the Bridge is about to close. The greater frustration is when you get to the Bridge, the Eastern end is closed, but there is still a flow from the Western end for almost 30 minutes after the stated retraction time. When the Bridge retracts, commuters have to wait for 90 minutes, therefore an 08:30 retraction time which was posted on the information board, will see the Bridge closing at 10:30h instead of 10:00h.

More frustrating is that in this technological age, with increased bridge tolls, longer waiting periods and the announcer informing the public of the new time schedule for the opening, there is no hotspot for commuters to use their various devices to get some assignments or tasks completed, etc. This makes the long hours of waiting more costly in every sense. One arrives at work late, unsettled, frustrated, and can miss an appointment, lose pay or be dismissed for being consistently late.

Something has to be put in place especially on mornings when there is a retraction at 08:00h or 08:30h. The Police Officers need to be informed so that they can be able to exercise greater efficiency and to remove the cones from the road earlier to effect a freer flow of traffic on the East Bank carriageways. In addition, Government should invest in providing hotspots on both the western and eastern end of the Harbour Bridge during the retraction periods so as to facilitate constructive use of time, especially for students, teachers, business persons who may need to complete tasks which may otherwise have been completed at their place of destination.

Yours respectfully,

Raelene Andrews