New street lights have been installed along a section of the Linden/Soesdyke Highway in the vicinity of Amelia’s Ward through a collaborative effort between the Linden Municipality and telecommunications provider Digicel.

According to a release from the Government Information Agency, GINA, the lights will illuminate a one-mile stretch of the road in the vicinity of Amelia’s Ward where a number of fatal accidents have occurred in the past.

The release stated that the project is the brainchild of the telecommunication company and according to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Gregory Dean, Digicel  decided to embark on the venture following concerns about a number of fatal accidents which have occurred in the vicinity of Amelia’s Ward, some of which claimed the lives of a few contractors  of  the company.  “We couldn’t provide lighting for the entire highway so we thought that we would focus our attention on the main areas of concern in Linden” Dean noted.

Also present at the commissioning ceremony were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Chairman of Region Ten, Mortimer Mingo, Orin Gordon, Chairman of the Linden Interim Management Committee and members of the Linden Town Week planning committee among others, GINA noted.

Prime Minister Hinds said that he was pleased that the lights were being commissioned during Linden Town week, the release noted. The Prime Minister said that Amelia’s Ward has come a long way as he recalled that the area was nothing but mere ‘bush’ and has gradually developed into a housing area as he highlighted the expansion of the Town’s population.

“We have high accident rates here in Guyana and as you know we have embarked on a programme to work to reduce that rate. Seatbelts were introduced and they are now largely accepted. Safety helmets for riders of motor cycles are also in the law but I don’t think they are well respected. We are also advertising the breathalyzers to clamp down on drunk drivers”, Hinds noted.

The project was a result of lengthy discussions between the telecommunications company and officials of Linden and according to GINA, it  was completed in a week. In addition to the venture, Digicel also erected billboards to convey safety messages to road users in its promotion of public education, GINA stated.

During the commissioning of the lights, the police traffic department in Linden was also commended for maintaining order on the road, the release stated.