By ...Wavel Ramkalawan.. CLEALING UP THE HIGH-WAY!!! The sad death of yet another Seychellois father, son and worker in a road accident on the highway has equalised the number of road fatalities of last year. If one were to count the number of accidents on that stretch of road, probably it would be very high. The day after Mr. Auguste’s tragic accident, around the same spot, there was another terrible accident. I firmly believe it is past the time to clean up the highway, by having proper supervision with the aim of preserving life. A couple of years back, government came up with a unit called ‘Highway Patrol.’ For a couple of months everyone driving between Le Chantier roundabout and Providence saw these officers dressed in blue checking pick-ups and other vehi- cles. Then they disappeared. They were reduced to traffic wardens in Victoria. Now is the time for modern technology to be used to supervise our roads, specially the highway and other roads where there are accidents quite often. I have addressed this issue before and since nothing has been done yet, I will again do so. I want also to say to the police that it is time now to shift their traffic checks to another level. Having all these officers in- volved simply in verifying the road tax, driving licence and the insurance policies of drivers and vehicles can be described as a waste of public money. Most drivers go over the speed limit on the highway, myself included. This is because we all see this stretch of road as a way of catching up lost time, or simply a road that gives us the possibility to enjoy a fast ride. Occasionally the police are stationed with their speed guns. But this is once in a while. This needs to be changed. The most important tool on the highway is speed cameras. They need to be installed and as everyone will agree, once this is done, drivers will be more careful and will observe the speed limit, especially if going over the limit will cause points to be deducted from the driving licence. This will also mean introducing a point system driving licence, as is the norm in most countries today. Our neighbour Mauritius has introduced speed cameras on a number of roads and the review made was that in these areas there has been a major im- provement in traffic management and safety. As one drives in these areas, you see that drivers act differently. Here in Seychelles, apart from the highway, we all know the areas where drivers have the tendency to drive fast. These include Bel Ombre, Mont Fleuri, Pointe Larue, Anse Aux Pins, etc.... And please note that these are also the places with more accidents and fatalities. Speed cameras will free traffic officers to attend to other areas of road safety. The highway too needs re-organisation. It is not acceptable for example, for a car travelling from the airport, to turn right to Airtel or the Wharf. This is simply dangerous and can cause a nuisance, given that other drivers suddenly have to reduce their speed. Something needs to be installed on the road between Providence and the Eden Island roundabout to improve on the safety and better use of that road. I am sure we all have ideas on how to better our roads. For example, is it not time to reorganise the Le Chantier roundabout????? And please note that roundabouts do not have to be round! They can be a different shape! Can we not have a proper structure that will ensure better traffic management instead of the present confusion that is the reason for so many accidents at that spot? In the same way, is it not time to install a roundabout at the airport???? Can’t the authorities see that it is a mess and that traffic leaving the airport or the petrol station face a risk each time they try to exit???? Too many lives are being lost on the roads and too much money is being spent on repairing vehicles. As we remember all our loved ones who have died or who have been badly injured on the highway and as the Auguste family says farewell to Roland, may we do something about our roads to make them safer. The responsibility is both on the drivers and on the authorities. We need to act now.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 11:46:08 +0000
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