I HAVE BEEN HOLDING this in for months but can’t any more and need to state my displeasure about a specific practice I see going on in Barbados over and over.
I am originally from Christ Church, but since getting married, I have migrated to the northwest of the island. Whenever leaving home or returning, I more often than not use Highway 2A.
I have recognized that as I travel on it at night, I always feel a sense of uneasiness and my awareness is raised considerably. This is due to two reasons: bright lights of approaching vehicles and the absence of street lights.
The bright lights are the result of the lack of street lights, which to me makes no sense at all. Before writing this article, I decided to ask some people how long the highway has been like this. On average, most people said 20 years.
Because of the approaching bright lights, on numerous occasions I have had to shift focus from off the road to the white line that separates the road from the shoulder in order to see where I am going. Sometimes, I have to swerve off people walking or jogging on the shoulder, who are virtually invisible as a result of the lack of lighting.
What worries me is that if I unintentionally hit a pedestrian, the courts would penalize me, but Government would take no responsibility for endangering my life and that of the pedestrian.
Now I am upset. I mean really upset and irritated each time I travel on the stretch of highway between the traffic lights in Redman Village and Simpson Motors.
I am not an engineer; neither am I a road construction and development expert. I am a concerned and annoyed citizen who needs two questions answered: Why haven’t any lights been placed on this dangerous stretch of road, especially during this time of construction? Why are empty cans being used as barricades to prevent vehicles, which weigh 100 times more than each can, from falling off the cut road?
What makes it worse is that reflectors have been placed on only some of the cans as a means of alerting motorists to the danger. The disappointing thing is that by night-time the reflectors become inefficient, as no one is responsible for cleaning off the dust they accumulated throughout the day.
When the rain falls, the situation becomes much worse. You cannot clearly see the road or the dusty cans or their reflectors due to the blinding lights of approaching vehicles, and your vision is further impaired by both the raindrops on your windshield and the lack of lighting.
I have a car but I know what it is like to wait on public transportation. I am convinced that those people in positions of authority in the Ministry of Transport and Works have little concern or appreciation for the lives of some citizens.
I am very concerned about two areas in the construction zone where people wait on the bus. The first is immediately on the right after passing the Shell gas station heading in a southerly direction. It hurts my heart to see children, women and old people standing in the rain and sun and sitting on the pavement awaiting the bus. This waiting area has no shelter or lighting.
The other bus stop is situated on the left immediately after Automotive Arts if one is heading in a southerly direction. The bus stop is completely surrounded by bush, which is more than three feet tall, and there is no lighting at all. This is a prime location for theft and other criminal activities.
I feel disrespected as a citizen and a motorist each time I pass this area. I must also say that this practice is replicated in other areas around the island where roadworks are going on.
I have travelled widely, so I know better can be done. These practices are not acceptable, and something needs to be done urgently. I believe there is legislation governing roadworks and the safety of pedestrians. Maybe there is no one to enforce it or it needs to be amended to be relevant to the times we live in.
Corey Worrell is a former Commonwealth youth ambassador. Email [email protected]
