Dear Editor,
I am now a retired personality and I lived in the Rupununi, off and on, since 1965 for a period of some fourteen (14) years, being involved in education (St Ignatius Primary School Teacher) and other fields of endeavour, (Field Station Administrator in the early days of the Iwokrama Field Station). As far as I am concerned, the Rupununi is the most beautiful place in Guyana where one can live and enjoy the peaceful nature of the hinterland.
An article in the Sunday Stabroek of June 15 (‘Takutu Bridge to open by October’) mentioned several aspects related to the opening of the bridge, viz, the development of tourism, customs and immigration, security measures etc, etc, but no mention was made of matters to be put in place early to deal with the actual flow of traffic across the bridge.
Permit me here to remind the stakeholders (a favourite word used by the government administration) ie both Brazilian and Guyanese, of an accident that took place on the road going north to Annai, in the mid ’80s whereby two of my colleagues, Kem Bacchus (REO – Lethem at that time) and Daniel Wallace (ex-DDO – Regional Development Ministry), almost lost their lives in a head-on collision with a Brazilian vehicle and a Guyanese government vehicle.
The Brazilians are by law, mandated to drive on the right side of the road in Brazil. Guyanese drivers also by law drive on the left side of the road in Guyana. I leave it to your imagination as to what happened when the driver of the Brazilian vehicle hugged the right side of the road and the Guyanese driver hugged his left side of the road.
What happens now that the bridge is about to be opened?
We, and by we, I mean certain government authorities are in the habit of ‘closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.’
I wish therefore to add my 3 cents to advise to the stakeholders:
1. Prominent signs should be placed at both ends of the bridge to remind drivers to obey the traffic rules, signs, etc, (call them what you may), when (a) crossing the bridge and when in unfamiliar territory. I might add that these signs should be placed along both approaches to the bridge (Brazil, Guyana);
2. stickers for cars, jeeps, trucks, etc, should be made available at both ends of the bridge, reminding drivers on which side of the road to drive.
The stickers can be issued by both Brazil and Guyana and placed at a convenient corner of the respective vehicle’s windscreen for drivers using the bridge.
Looking forward to the opening of the bridge, as I have a strong desire to return to the Rupununi and to enjoy the ambience of that beautiful place.
Yours faithfully,
Jim Holder
aka Jungle Jim
