Dear Editor,
On Tuesday, June 3, the Guyana Chronicle reported an accident between two vehicles at the left corner of the photo below, namely, New Garden Street and North Road. One car was proceeding west on North Road and the other south. The mooted excuse for the collision was that “the concrete rail on the bridge poses a serious problem because of its height,” in that it obstructs the view of the driver proceeding west on North Road.
The picture below was taken around 1930, and that bridge has been in place for over 78 years. If the mooted cause of the accident is correct, then this is the most dangerous crossing in the city, surpassing the bend outside the Russian Embassy, the former d’Aguiar Bend. Some traffic statistics must be available.
There was a similar accident at a similar bridge at the Church Street end crossing Albert Street on Easter weekend, 1958, but this involved a unit of the Alberttown Fire Brigade, and the bridge was not the cause of the accident in the case either.
I hasten to send this picture to save the bridge. The prevalence of road accidents in the country is because of the indiscriminate use of the roadway – speeding; the non-observance of the codes of the highway; lack of enforcement of the traffic laws; and the total disrespect for other road users. It is not the bridges.
Yours faithfully,
Godfrey Chin
