Dear Editor,
Road traffic issues
The current Vehicle and Road Traffic Regulations are barely known to most citizens, amongst whom the number of drivers is increasing exponentially.
Insufficient attention is being paid by relevant authorities and stakeholders to such basic facts as:
i) the number of vehicles utilising the same mileage of roadway for the past fifty years;
ii) the consequential frequency of accidents, and the alarming increase in fatalities, and the maimed;
iii) the growing unavailability of legitimate parking space;
iv) the ready access to ‘drivers’ licences without formal certification of ability to drive;
v) the pathetic lack of effective road signage;
vi) the absence of organised public transport ;
vii) the non-provision of transport facilities for vulnerable groups ‒ schoolchildren, the physically challenged and senior citizens;
viii) the absence of a competent authority to manage and monitor the road transportation system.
The above are only some of the indicators of the lack of a vision for managing road transportation and road safety in Guyana in the future (over the next ten years, say). They do suggest at the same time the need for a comprehensive overhaul, one that should address the following:
a) Licensing
Restructure of the licensing system to provide clearer identification, eg:
i) All ‘government’ vehicles licences to be distinguished from those of ‘civilian’ vehicles. It is a contradiction at least for the police to be utilising ‘civilian’ licences, while the GDF does not.
ii) Registration by Region
iii) Separate registration for identified categories of vehicles
iv) Insistence on drivers of public transport being licensed only upon certification of the relevant training by an authorised entity
v) The application of the same certification requirements for all learner drivers, particularly young adults
vi) Institution of a points system of penalties to facilitate review of eligibility for a licence
vii) Removal of protection from prosecution of all government drivers, including uniformed personnel, who violate the traffic regulations
viii) The institution of varying speed limits in the licences for drivers of specific categories of vehicles
ix) The institution of age limits (lower and upper) for licensing of public transport
x) Introduction of licences for conductors on identified public passenger transport.
xi) Application of a form of licence to be displayed prominently in public passenger transport vehicles
b) Parking
The city of Georgetown has minimal organised parking facilities. Even business places are not constrained to provide parking accommodation for ‘motorised’ customers. At the same time it is doubtful how legitimate are the ever prevalent ‘no-parking’ signs, and the consequent official harassment of the ‘parker.’ The problem of movement, when compounded by the inability to park, creates inordinate frustration and inconvenience. The imminent proposal to introduce parking meters is an unimaginative approach to resolving the problem.
A cursory survey of sister Caricom territories will display the number and size of specifically constructed (multi-storey) parking lots (private and municipal). A model statutorily observed in Trinidad and Tobago is the requirement for constructing customer oriented businesses (banks, restaurants, hotels, etc) to provide customer parking.
c) Imports
The motor vehicles sales industry appears to be expanding at a dangerous speed. The pun applies particularly to mini-buses, whose increasing competition produces more accidents, while reducing the standing space made available more by accident than by design. It should not be impossible to compute relevant statistics of passenger requirements for the respective routes in relation to the optimum capacity required and therefore formulate a plan for regulating the import of these weapons of passenger and pedestrian destruction. If it still applies, one mechanism would be to mitigate their duty-free status.
d) Insurance
A major stakeholder in this motorised environment is the Insurance body, whose concern about the current state of mayhem on the roads can be detected in its deafening silence. There is no symbol – say a speed sign ‒ which indicates the proactivity which derives from its expected corporate social responsibility. Such an involvement can perhaps be expressed in membership of a well-organised National Road Transport Authority, with strong monitoring and advisory capability.
e) Management entities
The proposed National Road Transport Authority (a transformation of the existing National Road Safety Council) referred to above should have Terms of Reference which would include:
i) development of relevant databases on licensing; errant drivers/conductors;
ii) monitoring of traffic control, including signage (speeding, parking, etc);
iii) upgrading of road travel facilities (lighting, bus-stops, etc);
iv) routing recommendations;
v) road safety;
vi) Working conditions for special category of drivers;
vii) reviewing traffic incident reports;
viii) Other related activities, eg checking where deemed necessary condition of accident victims.
For starters the membership of the proposed new authority should include representation from such bodies as the Guyana Police Force; importers of vehicles; Insurance Association; Bar Association; large road transporters; local government authorities; interested NGOs.
f) Traffic courts
Urgent consideration should be given to the expansion of traffic courts, and related systems and procedures.
Yours faithfully,
E B John
