Dear Editor,
It is with great concern and fear for my life and the lives of other commuters who travel the Soesdyke-Linden highway, especially at night, that I pen this letter.
Last evening (25.11.08) I was travelling in a zone 43 minibus bound for Linden. While we were passing through a community called Yarrowcabra, something hit the driver’s side of the minibus and made a loud sound. Some passengers panicked and asked the driver to stop and check his vehicle which he did when he arrived at the police checkpoint in the same community. There we met other drivers and commuters, who had experienced the same problem. In one of the vehicles a woman was showing the swelling on her arm which had been caused when an object thrown at the vehicle had passed through the window and hit her. While we were still at the checkpoint, a car drove up and the driver made a similar complaint.
The officers present listened to the various complaints and responded by saying, “We frighten too.” It seems to me that this is a new mode of crime in the making – ‘highwaymen’ − and if nothing is done about it, it will cause damage to vehicles and more seriously, the possible loss of lives. So I’m appealing to the police commissioner to beef up security on the highway at all times and not just when they are looking for wanted criminals, and to the Minister of Public Works for lights to be installed along the highway. I’m thankful for the reflectors which are placed along the roads, however, that is not enough to keep commuters and drivers safe!
Yours faithfully,
Joycelyn Bacchus
