The Linden Mayor and Town Council plans to install overhead barriers across several roads to the limit access of heavy-duty vehicles to heavily-populated areas, in an attempt to boost road safety and preserve the longevity of the roads.
Recently, the Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Orin Gordon took a decision to erect the bars, which has received much support from bauxite company BOSAI. Gordon was keen to note that the decision was made by the Town Council and not BOSAI, “so anyone who has a problem with it don’t run to BOSAI come to us, this is the Council’s doing.”
This statement follows closely on the heels of complaints by the bauxite company that it has been coming under fire from persons at various levels in the community who do not support the project.
The Town Council came to the decision since over the past few months there have been several collisions involving large vehicles along the main road in Wismar, resulting in the deaths of children. Several heavy-duty vehicles, such as oil tankers, lumber and ‘bush’ trucks, have failed to use designated detour routes and instead travel through largely- populated areas.
At Wismar, the vehicles coming from or heading to the interior locations beyond Wisroc should use the access road that runs from Wismar/Mackenzie passing through West Watooka and aback Block 22. Those travelling to the OMAI wharf and the Demerara Timbers Limited lumber yard at Christianburg should use the route behind Blue Berry Hill to and from the wharf and the route aback Block 22. At Mackenzie, heavy-duty vehicles coming from Ituni, Kwakwani and other logging are expected to use the Fair’s Rust/Noitgedacht bypass roads.
However, this is a far cry from what usually obtains. Many large vehicles have been using roads in heavily-populated areas, including the Winifred Gaskin Highway and Burnham Drive at Wismar and at Mackenzie, the Watooka access road, Independence Avenue and Republic Avenue, which passes through the shopping circle.
