Dear Editor,
Among other things, I have been writing about the crazy, nonsensical and misleading road signs in Berbice with the hope that the responsible authorities would take the necessary corrective action. Unfortunately, to date there has been no noticeable action except that the traffic policemen and policewomen have apparently become more zealous in extracting fines from the hapless drivers.
One of the latest hunting grounds for the traffic police in Berbice is the stretch of road between New Amsterdam and Palmyra, where they surreptitiously pounce upon motorists who supposedly exceed 50 km per hour.
In this regard, can the Traffic Chief please enlighten the public which one of the following two signs erected just six feet apart at the ‘west to east’ entrance to Palmyra Village must be observed? The first speed sign indicating “50 km per hour” is at the bottom, left-hand corner of the large Pepsi Cola signboard announcing entrance into Palmyra Village; The second speed sign, erected a mere 6-ft jump away on a typical official-style speed sign clearly reads: “80 km per hour.” These two signs present an obvious dilemma for the drivers who, it would appear, disregard the lower limit indicated on the first Pepsi signboard in favour, obviously, of the upper limit allowed in the second government signboard.
Under normal circumstances one might ignore the craziness described above; however, our over-zealous traffic police insist on motorists observing the lower speed limit written on the Pepsi sign while ignoring the upper limit printed on the government sign. This is, I believe, more than a sign of ‘opportunistic’ policing.
Yours faithfully,
Nowrang Persaud
