Overweight lorries a huge problem on roadways- Public Works Ministry

Apr 22, 2012 News

The Public Works Ministry is faced with a huge challenge to have trucks

Loaded trucks traversing roadway

and other heavy duty vehicles that traverse Guyana’s roadways, comply with weight restrictions.
This is according to Head of the Work Services Group, Rickford Lowe.
He said that over the past two years, the Ministry has been conducting a survey to ascertain the nature of the problem. It found that 60 percent of the lorries plying the roadways are overweight.
To have this reduced, the Ministry has been visiting the major offenders and advising them on how to best load their trucks so as to comply with the laws governing weight limitations.
“However, this programme is so large that we are seeking policy direction and waiting on Cabinet papers, because there would be severe economic impact if we pull off more than 60 percent of the lorries plying the roadway,” Lowe stated.
He emphasized that by year-end the Ministry is hoping to get more serious with the enforcement of weight limits.
Currently, under the Ministry’s Weights Control Project, which started about two years ago, there are large fixed scales installed at Takutu Bridge, Demerara Harbour Bridge and Wismar Bridge.
This programme is supported by the Inter-American Development Bank. There are additional portable scales that assist from time-to-time in carrying out weights control campaigns.
Lowe admitted that there is need to bring order to weight restrictions on the Linden to Lethem stretch.
“We need more resources right now… We are not really geared to police the Linden to Lethem road that is 500 km long… We are negotiating to extending the programme in the hinterland,” he said.
He assured that implementing weight controls is a work in progress.

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