Dear Editor,
On August 27th, a busy Saturday afternoon, on our journey back to Georgetown after a Justice and Peace Mission at Camp Kayuka, we witnessed the worst traffic jam that we have ever experienced in Guyana where traffic literally ground to a halt and engines were switched off in anger and disbelief as the police looked on helplessly.
In the village of Grove on the East Bank of Demerara, road works to resurface the Grove public road were underway with one of the two lanes being entirely closed with no co-ordinated efforts at direction, control and management of the traffic flow in both directions. It was inevitable therefore that the heavy traffic flow in both directions had to stop completely.
We waited close to 2.5hrs, between Grove and Diamond, in a line that only moved when the inevitably impatient drivers bolted from the line to seek a solution through the side streets of the village, or to crassly “bore” against oncoming traffic. If the police were writing tickets the State would have earned several million dollars in revenue. Some drivers turned off their engines and went into nearby shops to purchase food and drinks and view the lawless spectacle from the parapet. It had become a circus. Persons on their way down from the airport having just arrived into the country were delayed for almost three hours before they could reach their final destination. However, close to 6:00pm with the intervention of at least one senior police officer in brown uniform and after one overpriced fish and chips meal of $1800, we were able to shove off from Grove and finally pass the elusive Diamond community where we picked up pace and were able to resume a normal driving rate. Almost three hours stuck between one village, Grove and Diamond! Little wonder we overheard some of those international passengers who had just come into the country muttering “only in Guyana”. Is this the best we can do?
Editor, we are not unmindful of the need for roads to be maintained. It is more the manner of disorganisation and chaos that accompanied the exercise that raise cause for concern. A number of questions arise, including:
- Could this work not have been done at night, or on Sunday, when traffic would have been less?
- Was a public announcement made to alert commuters?
- Did the police have a traffic management plan?
- If yes, why did the plan fail so badly?
It remains a source of great frustration to watch drivers casually overtaking a standing line of vehicles with no response from the police present. There is much more that can be said about the basic injustice done when one jumps a queue. But when such rank “eye-pass” adds chaos to confusion, it is a crime against the people. Such indiscipline and selfishness are no example to our young people, who we pray do not internalise the behaviours we witnessed. Perhaps most worryingly, these are not the attitudes that will take our nation forward. It was a sad manifestation of a complete breakdown of law and order that afternoon. Such traffic lawlessness is surely indicative of a greater disregard for the rule of law and the rights of others.
We urge the authorities to consider all of the above in ensuring that future road works do not hinder citizens unduly, as that unfortunate occurrence of the 27th August. Public authorities and citizens alike must respect the rule of law and work towards a society where we respect the traffic laws and the rights of citizens.
Yours faithfully,
Gino Peter Persaud and
Lawrence Lachmansingh
