The headline in the Nation Newspaper titled Eye On Joy Road this morning highlighted the importance of being proactive; especially when the outcome would result in saving lifes. Our focus in this comment is not to highlight the tragedy of last week Sunday but the sad fact that despite years of knowing the danger on Horse Hill the authorities have done nothing. Residents of Horse Hill and “have to” users of the road all readily admit that a knowledge of the road is an absolute requirement to using it safely. The irony of this situation is the authority would have had the opportunity to fix the road when it underwent a major resurfacing in recent years. The same can be said about the “Bermuda Triangle” on the ABC Highway where carnage has occurred over the years although to the credit of the government the unhelpful gradient is currently being corrected.
There is the perception that many of our current Ministers are coming under increasing scrutiny by a demanding public. The Minister perhaps who takes the prize for the most criticized and discussed must be Minister Noel “Barney” Lynch. Whether it is the fall-out about CWC 2007, the merger between LIAT or the Standford’s Caribbean Star or the restructuring of HRL Ltd (GEMS). All of these events have gone South in the minds of the public although Barney would have us believe differently. The interesting observation according to an email we received highlights the point that Barney can be seen on the golf courses around Barbados and abroad on a frequent basis. For those of us who watch the sport on TV we do know that it is a sport which consumes hours of time. We suppose in Barney’s defense he must be utilizing high order time management skills.
Hats off to Bizzy Williams who got married on the weekend to his former black girl friend. It is not often that a rich, white Barbadian man marries a poor, black woman. This union which has been causing tongues to wag in recent months will now push discussion to escalate. The act of marriage by Bizzy to Shelly will do a lot to encourage important discussions about race relations in Barbados. In the past Barbadians have been reluctant to delve below the surface of this issue.
There is a lot happening in Barbados and we know that we should look forward to more in the coming weeks!
Musings are a good thing and I would like to comment and as BU said it has nothing to do with the tragic accidents of the past days nor am I suggesting or implying any of my comments are directed as a cause for these accidents. I am merely SHARING FACTS from North America.
Every day unlike Barbados until recently is we have to hear about drunk drivers killing innocent people. People dying in car accidents because they are not wearing seat belts. People are dying or killing others because of using cell phones while they drive. Recently and a new phenomeon as entered the killing fields young people using major highways to race on reaching speeds in their Mercedes, Corvettes, BMW and other high end vehicles and traveling in exccess of a 110- 120 MPH in heavy traffic while weaving in and out of lanes with several of them killing themselves and innocent people.
Barbados has to a few days ago been spared the daily horrific carnage we up here see on our highways and by-ways and which we now take for granted. The bizarre thing about most of the carnage here is that they are occurring on three and four lane straight highways in broad daylight, good visibility, dry pavement etc. In the intense urban setting they are happening on congested but mainly well designed, marked and engineered roads. And they should not be happening. But how can anyone avoid a drunk driver like who recently mounted the sidewalk crashed into a bus shelter killing a mother and seriously injuring her young child? And these incidents are by no way isolated!
The police lament that has hard as they crack down on these crazy’s, drunk driving is still on the increase, not wearing seat belt deaths are common and so is racing. And insanity in general is about the only thing that is alive and well. My point being, if this is occurring in big countries where roads in the most part are extremely or at least reasonably safe if used properly even at 60 to 80 MPH the legal limit. And with police allowing you some slack of 10 to 15 MPH over the limit while using every trick in the book to catch idiots it is going to happen sooner than later in Barbados as well. And Bajans like us will see more and more daily carnage on their roads. That is the sad reality of human behaviour it cannot be changed by legislation or the law.
It only stands to reason because cars, trucks, buses, tractors, motor bikes etc like here are in Barbados getting bigger and faster and the rural roads of Barbados as they are makes this a deadly mix for death. Bajans are like us hooked on cell phones with every car driver it seems having one plugged into their ear when they drive. Drinking and driving in Barbados is certainly a problem, as is speeding and not using low beams at night to mention a few and the policing is totally inadequate to address these issues. It is a deadly mix that will get worse with each passing day as the population and vehicles increase in Bim.
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Regards