Residents of the Belle West Housing Scheme on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) are calling for another bridge to be built in their community, since one dilapidated bridge cannot suffice the thousands of commuters, who traverse the scheme every day.
The current situation revolves around a bridge that serves as the only medium for vehicles to cross into the Canal Number Two Polder roadway to exit the scheme. Added to that, it is situated four miles into the Canal Number Two road.
For this, a massive traffic build-up is caused at peak hours when everybody is rus
Potholes along multiple roads
hing to leave for work or school or when they are returning home. Some are even scared of using the passage since it is deemed ‘unsafe’.
Dennis (only name given), a young lad who lives just a few houses away from the structure, told Guyana Times during a recent visit that he was astonished at the shenanigans and arguments that transpire on a daily basis over a simple crossing. Along with that, if the bridge were to collapse, vehicles would be left stranded in and out of the scheme.
“It got one lane…one lane. So people got to wait until you cross and then they got to stop on the other side for the other side cross. We need a proper bridge. That thing is not safe for all them vehicles that does be crossing over every day.”
It was recommended that another bridge be built to link the two roads at a closer distance to the public road.
“I say the only way to end this is if we get about two more. We got to get one in front by the when you coming in the main road cause this one is like far…people got to drive down till here and then drive out back. They could even make one to come and we could repair this one so people could go out and have two,” another resident said.
While the bridge continues to be a pending issue, complaints are being raised over the crosshatched roads which are filled with large potholes stretching for many meters. As a result of this, many residents are complaining that taxi drivers are charging extra since their cars are being damaged as they traverse the deteriorated roadway.
“This place, look how far from the public road. When these bus and car got to come in, sometimes you got to give them extra money to come over the road,” a resident told Guyana Times.
This is accompanied by unlit streets which increase the number of robberies in houses which are under construction. So far, the resident indicated that many dwellings were broken into and construction materials stolen.
“Plenty people get rob like window and cement and zinc that they buy. When they get the land, some people now building. At least by them corners need the light.”
Business owners and citizens are calling for their plights to be heard and are hoping that the Local Government body will seek to fix these problems since it has been reported on numerous occasions.
They claimed that spending two hours just to cross the bridge is unacceptable and also fear that lives are at risk since the bridge can collapse at any moment.
