Early on the morning of October 5, Harry McPherson was the victim of two hit and run accidents on Aubrey Barker Road, in South Ruimveldt. While returning home at 2am, McPherson, 44, was struck by a speeding minibus. Minutes later, as he lay unconscious in the middle of the road, he was run over by a car. He lived, although his right leg was amputated and he broke several bones.
Guyana Defence Force Captain Ansel Semple was not so lucky. On October 17, Semple, 31, was killed in an accident near the junction of Aubrey Barker Road and Festival City Exit. He was riding his motorcycle along Aubrey Barker Road shortly after 10pm when he was hit by two cars.
According to South Ruim-veldt residents, over the years, a number of accidents have occurred along Aubrey Barker Road, particularly in the vicinity of the junction with the Festival City Exit. They say the poorly lit roadway is a major contributor to the accidents and they are calling for street lights to be installed.
One elderly resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told Stabroek News that this stretch of road had not had working street lights for a very long time in spite of repeated appeals by community members to the relevant authorities. “The situation is very serious and people are losing their lives as a result,” he said, adding that the matter needed to be addressed urgently.
But he also blamed careless driving for many accidents on the road. The minibus drivers are often very reckless on the roads, he said, and “they just don’t seem to care.”
Another resident said “poor lighting was a problem in all of South Ruimveldt.” He said the situation was often compounded by the frequency of night blackouts in the community, which made driving and riding at night very difficult. “De steady blackouts don help de situation,” he observed.
The resident also blamed an unlevelled part of the road for causing accidents at the junction. He said that GT&T had done some repair work and a section of the road had had to be broken. When the road was mended it was not done properly and the repaired portion was not made level with the other part of the road. Consequently, motorists travelling at night could hardly see the difference in levels and sometimes lost control of their vehicles along that stretch.
Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green told Stabroek News that he was aware of the situation with the street lights but said the city council’s “hands were tied,” since it was severely hampered by the lack of funds.
The Mayor said that the city council had collaborated with the Guyana Police Force in conducting a survey in the city to determine which areas urgently needed streets lights. During this survey, Aubrey Barker Road was one of the streets identified.
Green emphasised that it was not a case where the municipality was neglecting its responsibilities. When asked if there was any solution to the problem, he said residents could obtain the street lights and the council would try its best to install them.
Meanwhile, Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn said that he was not aware of the problem, while pointing out that road maintenance was the responsibility of the municipality.
However, he said that now that the situation had been brought to his attention, the ministry may look into it. But Benn declined to make any promises, since the ministry was busy completing several other important projects around the city.
