Dear Editor,
Once again Homestretch Avenue has gobbled up the life of another Guyanese, this time as in the past, a young man who still has much to offer us, though all lives are equally precious. This dreaded thoroughfare has claimed dozens of Guyanese and foreign lives by reckless driving and yet absolutely nothing has been done by the authorities over the years to mitigate the obvious dangers of this road. No one seems to care. I don’t recall a single complaint being made about this dangerous road. Although mine is late in the day, it’s not too late to complain to pressure the authorities to do something urgently. I invite members of the public to do so.
It will cost very little in relative terms to construct a concrete barrier in the middle of the road separating the two lanes to prevent vehicles from crossing to the other lane to overtake. This is one of the main causes of accidents. Funds should also be made available to construct small concrete barriers at the sides of the road to protect cyclists and pedestrians as vehicles recklessly overtake on the inside posing great dangers to these road users.
I have seen in other countries speed bumps on highways constructed in such a way that they are long and of modest height so that they stop excessive speeding but not a slowing down to such a degree that traffic flow is disrupted. This can also be considered.
This should not be a question of whether the funds are available. They must be found, so that the carnage, at least on this stretch of the road, can be ended.
Yours faithfully,
Ralph Ramkarran
