By Shuntel Glasgow
Many commuters along the East Coast Demerara corridor were left stranded yesterday morning as bus owners cancelled work because of the damaged bridge at Coldingen Railway Embankment.
This resulted in a huge traffic buildup on both the main road and railway embankment.
While a traffic advisory was issued on Sunday indicating emergency work was being done on the bridge resulting in sections of the railway embankment being closed it appears as if many were caught by surprise.
Even before 7 am yesterday there was a long line from Coldingen on the embankment and even more chaos was created as some vehicles sought to turn around to escape the line and this created hardship for those who were travelling in the opposite direction. And as vehicles attempted to make it to the main road at various points the traffic came almost to a standstill.
Workers gathered on the road from about 7 am and stood for hours while several drivers en route to Golden Grove, Victoria and Anns Grove emptied their buses and refused to travel back to Georgetown.
The traffic buildup lasted for hours. While taxis seemed to be an alternative for others to make their way to work, they were forced to wait for hours in the traffic. After bus drivers signalled that they were not going to Georgetown, some people decided to call taxis but were told that none was available.
People gathered at street corners as they waited in vain for a bus to arrive to be transported to Georgetown.
Persons living along the railway embankment utilized the Enterprise Road to gain access to the public road but also came into contact with other drivers who diverted from the traffic at Enmore, Estate Road.
Bus
Mark Johnson, a bus driver of Enmore, ECD, in an interview told Stabroek News that he spent hours in the traffic as he travelled along the East Coast Highway. Johnson added that while the major work on the bridge is being executed at Coldingen, chaos was seen at several other villages including Enterprise. Police ranks were on the road at the Coldingen junction and Strathspey Road to help maintain order and a smooth flow of traffic. Johnson explained that while many passengers were on the road, it would result in a loss for drivers because of the long hours it would take to make a trip to Georgetown. He emphasized that the gas consumption would differ significantly compared to a normal day.
“Yes, nuff people on the road but, what time I reaching back to Georgetown? You know how long I deh in this traffic. We would usually do like five trips a day but look the time and this is just the first trip. I gon lose out big time and waste nuff gas.”
Terrence (only name given) of Anns Grove, ECD, told this newspaper that while he was willing to take passengers to Georgetown, the traffic was moving slowly. According to Terrence, at about 5 am many commuters were not on the road, so persons like security guards who were heading to work for 6 am arrived in Georgetown early.
“I want to go down back to town but not with this traffic. You moving one for dollar in this traffic and gas burning all the time. Early up like 5 o clock road did nice because nuff people didn’t start travel yet but you see when it start come down to 7 then the madness start.”
Taxi
Many taxi drivers explained that their colleagues were trapped in the traffic heading to Georgetown with passengers so they were only transporting passengers for short distances. They further stated that a hike in price will not resolve the issue because passengers will refuse to pay extra money to be transported to their destinations.
“Passengers will refuse to pay more money to go town. We only doing short drop. We call up some of we partner them and they stick in the traffic but they can’t do nothing because remember they done pick up the people.”
Commuters
Cheryl Mingo in an interview with Stabroek News explained that she was unaware of the ongoing works at the Coldingen Bridge. Mingo said she would usually leave home at 6:50 am to catch a bus so that she can get to work before 8 am. According to Mingo, she stood there for two hours and was unable to get a bus.
“I am frustrated because for two hours and no bus. Time like this I’m already at work. What do I tell my manager? `Oh, the traffic was heavy’ and that’s it. Do you think they would want to hear that?”
Shekira Monfat told this newspaper that her dental appointment was scheduled for 9 am yesterday morning. Monfat explained that she left home at about 7:30am and was hopeful that she would be in Georgetown at about 8:45 am despite the traffic situation. She added that while she saw on Facebook that the bridge was undergoing emergency repairs, she was expecting to get a bus before 8am but that did not go as planned.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Ministry of Public Works on Sunday advised road users along the East Coast Demerara corridor that emergency work was underway on the bridge at Coldingen (Railway Embankment) owing to issues with its structural capacity to facilitate traffic.
According to a release, traffic proceeding east on the Railway Embankment can detour through Bladen Hall to gain access to the East Coast public road. Traffic proceeding west will utilise the East Coast public road onwards and can divert at Annandale or other villages to access the embankment if necessary.
