Latest update February 11th, 2025 2:15 PM
Latest News
- Govt. makes move to cancel CGX, Frontera Corentyne block license in 30 days
- ExxonMobil paying taxes in Bahamas but not a cent to Guyana
- Canadian company completes airstrip, roads to kick off 5.4M ounce gold project in Guyana
- Hamas threatens to postpone next hostage release, claiming Israel has broken terms of ceasefire deal
- Twelve-year-old girl missing for three weeks
$15M automated tolling system goes into operation
– DHB banks on it to reduce traffic congestion
Kaieteur News – An automated tolling system that the government paid some $15M dollar to set up at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) will assist in reducing the traffic congestion around that area.
Newly Appointed Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken and his team meeting with the Gneral Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge yesterday.
At least this is the view of the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation’s, (DHBC) Wayne Watson. He was speaking at the time to newly appointed acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken on Thursday. Hicken along with Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram, the Traffic Officer in Charge of the Region Three district, Inspector Eon Isaacs and Senior Superintendent of Police, Kevin Das, met with the Manager yesterday to explore ways to reduce the traffic chaos that takes place every day on the bridge.
Watson, according to a release sent out by the force, told Hicken and his team that starting from today, a new $15M automated tolling system installed at the bridge will be opened to the public and will assist in reducing the traffic congestion there. This investment means that commuters will no longer have to stop and wait to pay their tolls at the bridge. Watson reportedly noted that the new system successfully passed its pilot testing phase, which began in February, with a few selected vehicles.
Explaining how the system works, Watson said that commuters will pay their toll via a Radio-Frequency Identification (RIFD) tag, but first they will be registered to a database linked to mobile money account. An RIFD tag will be placed on their vehicles and while approaching the toll stations on the eastern side of the bridge, RIFD scanners will scan the tag and the toll fee will be deducted automatically from their mobile money account.
He added that different RIFD tags will be made for different classes of vehicles such as cars, trucks, or vans. In strengthening its partnership force, DHBC has donated a motorcycle for traffic ranks to execute their duties in and around the bridge area. Hicken also inspected a newly built police outpost on the western end of the bridge. DHBC had handed it over to GPF this year not only for monitoring traffic, but also for the detection and prevention of crime in the area.
As GPF continues its efforts to alleviate the traffic woes that affect motorists almost every day, Hicken noted that the force will continue to work with the double lane system that was introduced in 2020 because it seems to be doing well. The double lane system would normally be used during the peak traffic hours. However, in an attempt to boost the double lane system, Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram related during the meeting with DHBC, that more traffic ranks will be placed at specific points along the East Bank corridor to assess the traffic situation, and if there is a build-up, a decision will be taken to open an extra lane (double lane system). Additionally, the traffic chief is instructing owners of derelict vehicles to remove them beside the public road and is working along with the local Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) to have these persons comply.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Are we better off today than we were before first oil?
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-If you had asked me ten years ago what I wanted for Guyana, I would have said a few things:... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
