Government may soon be declaring war against an “epidemic” of illegal vehicles on the road.Minister of Transport and Works John Boyce hinted at this on Saturday night, when he addressed members of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) at Accra Beach Hotel & Resort.“Illegal vehicles on our roads have reached epidemic proportions and there is need for urgent action,” he said.“A large proportion of these illegal vehicles is being used to perpetrate crime in our country.”He indicated that the assault on the unlicenced vehicles would come after an electronic vehicle registration and identification regime had been established.Boyce told the gathering that his ministry was awaiting “expert presentations” on the electronic system.
New regimeThe regime will allow the police force to keep track of licenced vehicles “and apprehend illegal road users who threaten our society’s viability”, Boyce argued.He also reported that wide-ranging amendments were coming for the Road Traffic Act.“There has been a full discussion on these amendments and we now have to move expeditiously through all the other stages to bring about this passage,” he said.The use of cell phones in vehicles, the position of all terrain vehicles (ATVs), vending on the highway, drinking and driving and the carrying of drivers’ licences and insurance certificates are among the matters to be dealt with, according to Boyce.The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of APTO’s Seal of Excellence to a number of drivers with an “unblemished reputation for safety and obeying the laws of Barbados”. Nineteen drivers have qualified for the seal.Boyce welcomed the introduction of the seal, saying the launch was testimony to APTO’s “new thrust in dealing with the question of indiscipline, flouting of authority and the law and poor customer service” in the organisation.According to Boyce, Government has made it clear that it would not tolerate the threat to society’s moral fibre “that indiscipline can nurture”.
