THE LAW MUST NOT BE FLEXED

Dec 16, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

I saw something interesting yesterday along Regent Street where bus stops have been re-introduced. What I saw confirms that we have a serious problem in Guyana which, if not reversed soon, can only mean that Guyana will remain in the backwaters of development for centuries.

A bus stopped at the designated stop to put off a passenger. However a mere twenty feet away a woman was flagging down the same bus for it to stop and pick her up. She did not seem to appreciate that the bus stops were also meant to be the place where she would get on the bus.

I hope that no one suggests that what we need is a public orientation plan for Guyanese since they are unfamiliar with bus stops. I hope it does not come to this because what this would tell me is that Guyana would never be able to achieve any appreciable level of development and we would remain a backward and under-developed country.

I could empathise but not excuse the driver of that bus. He did the right thing by stopping at the bus stop to allow a passenger to disembark. But what should he have done with the intended commuter who was waiting to be picked up away from the bus stop. Had he driven away, he may have been accused to being rude and he would have lost a permanent customer.

Perhaps that is what that young lady needed so as to put sense in her head. She needed to be ignored by all the buses on the road since she was standing only a short distance from the bus stop and with a few steps would have been able to enter the bus at a legally recognised point.

Guyanese do not need any sensitisation programme. Even though, the reintroduction of bus stops has taken a long time to materialise, I think that Guyanese are fully aware that once these stops are in place it is unlawful to disembark from or embark onto a bus other than at a designated bus stop.

Each year thousands of Guyanese leave these shores for the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom. Within a day of their arrival in these countries they are hitting the streets.

These newly arrived Guyanese immigrants do not need any orientation course to know that they cannot get on and get off of public transportation wherever they please. Their families do not have to orient them about only joining the bus or train at designated stops. They know this.

There is therefore no excuse for any person in Guyana not knowing that where there are designated bus stops these must be used. The reason why there is so much flouting of the law is because Guyanese are getting away with breaking the law.

When the authorities decide to get serious, the people will fall in line.
I am therefore urging the traffic authorities to get serious with pedestrians and minibuses so as to ensure that the regulations governing bus stops are respected.

I am imploring the authorities not to bother with any public orientation programme. Those who believe they need orientation will find that when they are charged for a breach of the traffic laws, their knowledge of the appropriate use of the roads will dramatically improve.

Those who claimed that they did not know that you had to get on at a bus stop, will suddenly be enlightened.

There is no need for any grace period for the holidays. The stops are in place and the regulations must be followed immediately. One of the biggest obstacles to ordered development in Guyana is that people are given too much leverage. The law must be imposed in a disciplined manner.

Any other way, any flexing of the law, only encourages lawlessness. Flexing the law makes it elastic.
At this time of the year, there is the greatest need to impose discipline on our roads. The new bus stops are a step in the right direction, but they can become missteps if they are not rigidly enforced.

I therefore urge the traffic authorities to have two tow trucks run up and down Regent Street. There should be a police presence on these trucks, and as soon as they see a car or van parked in the place allotted for bus stops, that vehicle should be towed away immediately. The owner should be charged and required to pay the tow truck for the cost for removing the illegally parked vehicle.

In addition, there should be two traffic ranks on motor cycles riding up and down Regent Street ensuring that buses stop to pick up passengers only at designated stops.

If it is found that a bus stops other than at a designated stop, both the driver of the bus and the pedestrian should be charged.

Take my word within one week, if these measures are enforced efficiently, there is going to be less chaos in terms of traffic management in the city.

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