Dear Editor,
I write with reference to the SN story titled, `Cyclist dies in collision on Meten-Meer-Zorg public road’ (SN Oct 28th).
People may gasp and mutter, “Yet another road death”. It is a national crisis.
Important people like veteran journalist/politician Kit Nascimento write letters about what to do to deal with this crisis – but really nothing is done. And the road carnage continues daily and unabated.
The police may arrest and charge the driver of the motor car. Here is my question: How much of the blame is due to the driver – and how much to the culture?
Motorists are caught up in the culture of speeding on village roads. Pedestrians, donkey carts, bicyclists, taxis stop to drop off and pick-up passengers. On these kinds of village roads, given this type of road use: You simply cannot drive above 25 mph and not expect to kill those bicyclists.
What’s my point? Government’s policymakers and planners have got to institute a new culture of driving. The first thing they may want to do is to lock the country down at 25 mph. I can’t think of a better example than to tell Guyanese policymakers that the whole of New York City (8-9 million) is locked down at 25 mph – and strictly enforced by traffic cops as well as cameras that automatically issue speeding tickets at $50 a pop, if you get caught speeding above 25 mph.
Guyana’s policy planners need to devise and inculcate a new culture for motorists and road users.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud