Legislation targeting stricter fines and penalties should be introduced to curb damage to public property, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, disclosed yesterday when asked to address the recent destruction of a barrier on a community road only hours after it was erected.
Edghill said that those who fail to respect the presence of a barrier or any form of traffic mediator must be made to pay the cost when damages occur. He stated that commercial vehicles must recognized that they will be faced with restrictions and will not be allowed to traverse on some roads. “It is about time, under the Road Safety Act, and Road Users Act, legislations or regulations be made. It should include greater penalties and fines to change that culture,” Edghill underscored.
Minister of Housing and Water Colin Coral, yesterday told Stabroek News that his ministry is working to have the barrier replaced. He stated that they will also move to have the driver of the vehicle face the necessary penalties. With this occurrence, he added that the ministry is considering newer methods to limit large and overladen vehicles from travelling on the road.
“It is a sad situation to see this occur. We could have closed the road but we thought about the traffic congestion and decided to leave it open. The detour route is not for large vehicles, but they are trying to use it too,” the minister said as he explained the reason for the barrier. He, however, gave assurances that they will re-erect the barrier.
The barrier was erected on a community road by the Ministry of Housing and Water to prevent large and overladen vehicles from traversing the road. The stretch of road acts as detour for commuters traveling between Eccles and Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
