Dear Editor,
It is becoming more difficult to traverse the roadway between Success to Better Hope on the East Coast of Demerara due to heavy traffic build-ups. The build-up is partially due to an increasing number of vehicles on the road. The result of this is that many 8am workers usually reach late for work and arrive even later if they are moving at 10 to 15 mph to reach 7 stop lights before Lamaha Street.
Along this route, there are two schools, Apex Education and a school at Better Hope. There are also four pedestrian crossings between Atlantic Gardens and Better Hope. The thing that boggles the mind is that every morning there is a traffic policeman who is usually in front of Apex Education and the traffic moves at a snail’s pace, causing a build-up that sometimes reaches Pigeon Island. It is noticeable that the officer in charge, who does a wonderful job of crossing the children, needs to adopt a better approach. I suggest that since Apex has two campuses obliquely opposite each other, they should set some time when students can cross the road in large batches.
If school is in session from 8.30am and Apex expects students arriving from 7am then they should instruct them that roughly every 20 minutes from 7 o’clock there will be a crossing when the police so indicate. Apex in term time should provide a waiting area in the campuses where the police can be seen, so that a timely indication of a crossing can be given. Currently, vehicles have to stop for 3 students to pass, then sometimes 5 students, and then 6 students and an adult, etc, and so it goes on.
On top of this many vehicles turn from the Railway Embankment into the main road at the Vryheid’s Lust connection, which also contributes to the traffic jam.
Many motorists are hesitant to use the railway because of the rough surface and the fact that the bridges are not properly maintained. In the Coldingen area there is a turn-off point for all vehicles coming from lower the East Coast/Berbice because of bridge repairs in progress at Friendship-Buxton.
There is also a build-up there right along the railway, and even at Buxton there are heaps of sand that encroach on almost an entire lane of the road which the contractor(s) could at least set properly to prevent vehicles from having to create a double lane on one side and damaging the parapet and road edges.
I am urging the authorities to provide some relief, by discussing the problems with Apex Education, the contractors building the roads at Buxton and providing some remedial work on the bridges and potholes on the Railway Embankment and even the main road at places such as when entering Cove and John, Enmore, Strathspey public road, Ann’s Grove from the Coldingen turn to the turn before the service station, etc.
Yours faithfully.
Bibi Fazeela Khan
