Dear Editor,
The situation on the East Bank Highway is completely out of control. Apart from being a major nuisance because of the numerous traffic jams the situation is intensified by a number of factors. These factors among others are completely hapless policemen who seem to lack the basic training in traffic management and may I say common sense. Their directions and management of traffic make absolutely no sense. Commuters are forced to sit in traffic for hours because of the bad traffic management.
In addition, there was a previous policy of not having large transport trucks on the road during rush hours. This policy seems to have become extinct. During rush hours large trucks are on the road slowing down the pace of traffic. These trucks are not only an irritant but are hazardous. Often, they have large logs sticking out of them and large containers of fuel and other hazardous materials. Two days ago, I spent 35 minutes behind a truck that had more than 5000 gallons of gasoline in plastic containers. An accident with that truck and many lives are at stake (again in a traffic jam). Something urgently needs to be done about this situation on the East Bank Highway. Or is it we will in typical Guyanese normalcy wait until there is a serious accident and associated disaster before the relevant agencies act.
Also, it is clear that the novices in the police force are sent to direct traffic. I have never seen a senior police officer on the road except if a minister of government or the Prime Minister or President is going to a particular location. The traffic chief needs to get out of his air-conditioned office and provide hands on guidance to his officers and relieve us the commuters of this major stress and anxiety. It is obvious that there needs to be mobile traffic police officers, so they can investigate blockages and incidents and accidents along the highway. The policemen standing at various points are not effective! In Jamaica, almost all of the commuters in Kingston would have been familiar with one of their traffic chiefs. He could be seen from 6.00 in the morning on a mobile vehicle managing traffic in Kingston.
The Guyana police and the other relevant state actors need to address this situation urgently. Please.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
