A simple solution to the problem

Aug 05, 2024 Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – Every day, except on Sundays, there is a long line of traffic at two principal stretches on the East Bank Public Road. For traffic going south towards the Demerara Harbour Bridge, there is usually a huge build-up of traffic from the Eccles traffic light to the junction with the Harbour Bridge.

For traffic proceeding north, there is a long line of traffic from Red Road (Massey junction) to the Harbour Bridge. In the case of southbound traffic, the logjam is almost throughout daylight hours; but in the case of northbound traffic, it is usually only during peak hours.

If the police can clear this backlog, they will considerably ease the traffic woes on the East Bank Public Road. But to do so they must act against violators since it is these violators that are responsible for extended build-up of traffic at these two points.

The cause of the build-up is not simply the number of vehicles on these stretches, it is, in the case of southbound traffic, the habit of motorists to create a third lane of traffic from the junction of the Eccles traffic light to the junction of the Eccles Dumpsite Road. Several drivers bore the line by creating a third lane of traffic on the eastern side of the eastern carriage way of the East Bank Public Road, beginning at the junction with the Eccles traffic light and ending at the Dumpsite Road.

If the traffic authorities simply put a police presence there to charge violators, there will be a smooth flow of traffic. But in Guyana, it has become almost a divine right to bore and undertake vehicles that are orderly and in line. Once this illegal boring is stemmed, the traffic flow will be easier.

On the opposite carriage way going north on the approach to the Bridge, a similar situation takes place except that vehicles de route through the back streets and force their way to merge with the traffic approaching the bridge on the Public Road. This means that if you are patiently waiting your turn in the line, you have to wait very long because all of these vehicles force their way into the traffic in front of you.

Solving the traffic problem on the East Bank Public Road is not rocket science. Some useful measures have already been deployed during peak hours such as the use of three lanes.  But workers who live on the West Bank are forced to endure long hours in the traffic simply because of the illegal actions of other motorists. What is terrible about this situation is that if you are obeying the law and staying in your lane, you pay the penalty if delays, while those committing infractions of the law find a speedy way home.

If the police would only take action to stem these violations by having a presence at these stretches and if they charge persons who breach the laws by creating this additional lane of traffic, the flow of motor vehicles will be much smoother. It is inexcusable that the police imply do not have a stronger presence at these two stretches. For southbound traffic, all they have to do is to place a rank outside of the Assemblies of God Church and they will catch all the violators.

In relation to the northbound traffic on the Public Road, if the back roads from Lambada Bar to the Harbour Bridge are closed to traffic seeking to merge onto the Public Road, this too will ease the waiting time for motorists.

But it requires the police to have a greater presence and to act against defaulters. The Minister of Home Affairs is a man who likes to be on the ground and to see things for himself. I invite him to go down to these two trouble spots during peak hours and to see for himself what causes the delays at these two approaches to the Bridge.

It would be easy for the authorities to throw up their hands in the air and promise that things will be easier when the new Bridge across the river is built. But if immediate relief can be brought by simply stopping the creation of unauthorized lane and boring, this relief will be most welcome by motorists.  There is a great deal of indiscipline in our roads. Most motorists comply with the rule and wait their turn when in line. But there are a quite a few who are unprepared to do so and the fact that each day, they can get away with illegal driving, allows them to break the rules with impunity and in the process create tremendous inconvenience for lawful road users.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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• Demerara Harbour, Guyana, Harbour Bridge, Red Road, responsible, traffic

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