Dear Editor,
Kindly permit me space in your newspaper to voice my concern about a very dangerous situation on our roadway. Editor, as you may be aware, sand truck drivers usually park along the edges of the East Bank Demerara Highway stretching from National Hardware and Torginol Paints on the western side of the road and on the eastern side as well while they go about their business.
My major concern here has to do with the manner in which these drivers park. On most occasions, they are extremely close to the junctions of the road, which poses a great danger to other drivers who are attempting to get access to the highway where our view is totally blocked by those high trucks being parked a mere meter or so away from the corners at times. From what I understand, it is an offence to stop or park a vehicle within the first 10 meters from a corner. The situation we have here is not only a daily breach of the traffic laws but also a daily danger to other road users as well. In addition, when these big trucks are parked on the road shoulders they force pedestrians to compete with the moving traffic for space to walk. What is worse is that the Police are often times right there at the traffic light where they have a clear view of these breaches, but choose to ignore. Why is this? Why don’t the police ensure that at least these truck drivers do not park within that 10 meters distance from the corner? Are we waiting until someone loses his or her life here before we fix this problem?
Editor, many times drivers coming out from the junction by Torginol are forced to take the risk of going on the highway with almost half of the vehicle already on the road but they are still unable to see vehicles coming to Georgetown because their view is blocked by these trucks. We are playing with death every time we attempt to get on to the highway, especially given the kind of drivers we generally have on our road. Coupled with this, there are numerous occasions when potential customers turn up in their vehicles and simply park alongside the trucks to begin negotiating their deal. This is insanity.
My other concern has to do with the fact that these trucks often times are parked on the shoulders of the road. Many of us Guyanese keep complaining every day about the poor infrastructure, and about roads being damaged mere months after construction, but we are failing to recognize all the causes of this. Those trucks are parked sometimes for hours with tons of sand on the road shoulders causing severe stress on the road foundation, which results in eventual damage to the road. There are already huge sinkholes on the western side of this area – isn’t the Ministry of Public Infrastructure doing anything about this?
I understand that the truck drivers need to earn a living, but at the same time, we need to look at the issue holistically. I would urge the Commissioner of Police, Minister David Patterson and Mayor Ubraj Narine to intervene immediately and bring some order and safety at this location. They need to identify an area off the man road where they can assemble and ply their trade without impeding the safety of other road users.
Yours faithfully,
Rovin Singh
