CHRISTMAS IS A LITTLE WAY OFF, but the officials of the Barbados Road Safety Association do have a wish list. And if implemented, they believe it could reduce the number of serious accidents on Barbados’ most heavily used roads.
President Sharmaine Roland-Bowen and deputy president Carson Lee took to the streets last week to look at areas along the ABC Highway where improvements could be made, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW), to reduce the probability of accidents.
The road safety experts said that with the start of the rainy season, the improvements on the ABC Highway were of paramount importance, since more accidents occurred during inclement weather.
At the top of their wish list is a surveillance system regulated by law to produce automatic speeding tickets for drivers who surpass the 80-km limit on the ABC Highway.
The cameras, with motion sensors attached, would be able to register the speed of cars traversing the highway. With accompanying photographs, they would allow MTW officials to issue speeding tickets to drivers, who would then be summoned to appear in court to answer the charge of speeding.
“The cameras on our highways could be very useful and could act as a deterrent for sure. In addition, the Government would be in a position to make money from the fines which could be handed down in court,” Roland-Bowen said.
She admitted it would be costly to put such high-tech equipment along the ABC Highway, but said Government should see it as an investment and not just an expense. Roland-Bowen said similar cameras could be placed in areas where speeding and racing occurred.
“We know the areas. The police also know the areas, and we know the police do not have the necessary resources to always be in place on the highway, or in the areas where these people race,” she said.
The Road Safety Association also wants the MTW to pay closer attention to lighting along the length of the ABC Highway since motorists are still complaining about dark patches.
“We are trying to reduce the carnage on the road. We are not here to attack the ministry,” Lee made clear. “We want to work hand in hand with the ministry in identifying areas around the country that present hazards. There are some issues across the country that we feel the need to highlight.”
Lee bemoaned what he called a slow reaction to re-erect barriers after accidents occurred. He cited one example on the ABC Highway where, three weeks after a serious accident, the metal parts of a barrier still project out of the ground at the roadside.
Lee noted that should a motorcyclist be involved in an accident in that area, the results could be catastrophic.
“It’s not always that you need to bring a whole lot of engineering changes. There are some changes than can be made at the basic level.”
He added that in the short term, reflective tape could be placed every 15 or 20 feet along the Jersey barriers on the ABC Highway but, eventually, special blinking “cat eyes” needed to be placed on the Jersey barriers across the island that would improve drivers’ awareness when using those long stretches of road.
