est. 2007

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Engineering Band-Aids Will Not Solve Road Woes

Those who listened to the parliamentary debate on a resolution to borrow 35 million dollars from the Barbados National Bank (BNB) earlier this month would have been surprised at the robustness of the exchanges. Unfortunately many of the contributions delivered by MPs and Senators centred on which government was responsible for roads built over the…

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Warrens before the roundabout expansion

Those who listened to the parliamentary debate on a resolution to borrow 35 million dollars from the Barbados National Bank (BNB) earlier this month would have been surprised at the robustness of the exchanges. Unfortunately many of the contributions delivered by MPs and Senators centred on which government was responsible for roads built over the years. Regrettably politicians on both sides of the fence continue to insult Barbadians with the poorakey debate which spews forth from  parliament.

Is it unreasonable for some level of strategic thinking to be applied to the perennial issue of how to improve the road and traffic systems in Barbados? With 130,000+ vehicles on our roads is it a more sensible option to ponder if our narrow and dense network of roads can efficiently accommodate existing traffic flows?  Instead we cut down hundred year old trees, build gigantic roundabouts a la Warrens, create jambusting, triangular roundabouts and the like?

Barbados is a 166 square miles and at some point commonsense will have to take root. The number of vehicles on our roads cannot be allowed to go unregulated for much longer. However just like the subject of education do not expect our policymakers to show the testicular fortitude necessary to take this particular bull by the horns.

Since the madness in progress at Warrens Roundabout and its environs  it has been estimated about 30 accidents have occurred. Some will argue the confusion about its use is as a result of the ignorance of Barbadian drivers made worse by the use of Warrens while under construction. Others suggest the type of vehicles (high speed), the heavy volume of traffic and lack of road use savvy continue to be key reasons contributing to the high number of accidents and why the Accident and Emergency Department at the QEH will be kept busy.

Although the Barbados Road Safety website is not current it shows a worrying trend since 2008. Has the time come for policymakers to regulate the number and types of vehicles on our roads?

112 responses to “Engineering Band-Aids Will Not Solve Road Woes”

  1. de hood Avatar
    de hood

    BTW, David, to you and all the other posters here on BU, best wishes for a peaceful and spiritually guided New Year.
    de hood.

  2. John Avatar
    John

    The really sad thing about the supposedly centuries old tree is that no one seeks to explain the rot which appears to have been from the bottom up.

    It has survived for years in a watercourse and one would question the health of the watercourse …. particularly as it feeds the Belle and Codrington water wells which make up a substantial percentage of our already over committed water resources.

    Are there other trees in the watercourse that are similarly afflicted?

    Can their health be also guaged by an experienced eye?

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @John

    Is it true that an aged old tree can live with a hollow for many many years and does not mean immediate death?

  4. Checkit-Out Avatar
    Checkit-Out

    I’ve been assured by an expert that It would have been most surprising if the Silk Cotton Tree at Warrens did not have a hollow trunk. Practically all Silk Cotton trees of that age have hollow trunks and can survive for additional centuries with such hollows. The Caribbean, Latin America and West Africa are replete with examples of Old Silk cotton trees that are healthy and show no sign of succumbing to disease or old age. It is also very unlikely that contaminated water could have been the cause of the hollowed trunk. An old Silk cotton tree with a hollowed trunk is the norm.

  5. John Avatar
    John

    I don’t know much about trees!!

    I don’t know if the tree was sick …. or not.

    I am simply following the logic of the authorities that it was sick and trying to understand why and what it signals to us.

    Maybe it was not sick, but if it was as the authorities say, I would sure like the said same authorities to come up with an explanation of what caused the sickness.

    Was it environmental factors, eg heavy sewage load from housing developments in the Warrens area, ….. agricultural or other chemicals from businesses in the area, …… petroleum products from the gas station and garages in the water course ……

    Was it the trimming?

    What caused the sickness?

    With the proximity of a major portion of our water resources it seems to me the illness of the tree raises more worrying questions than it answers for the authorities!!

  6. John Avatar
    John

    You see, on the opposite side of the road from the tree is a drainage well dug to get the run off from the water course underground.

  7. Checkit-Out Avatar
    Checkit-Out

    David; On deep consideration of the information on the correct use of the Darcy Stuart roundabout given in an earlier post. I have to reluctantly agree with your advice in your 4:41 post yesterday.

    Avoid that roundabout whenever possible.

    If I am reading the Ministry’s information correctly the officially sanctioned procedures for people coming south from Redman’s village is;
    a) Go into the rightmost, inner lane of the roundabout if intending to go in the direction of the University
    b) Go into the middle lane if intending to exit onto the road leading to Chefette / the Shell gas Station.
    c) Go into the right lane (not the dedicated Simpson complex lane) if going west towards the polyclinic.

    That is a sure prescription for more accidents, imho, especially as the road markings do not seem to accord with these directions. I recently had a look at the roundabout for several minutes from a high vantage point and it was clear that allowing persons to take the middle lane to exit to the Chefette road must have been partially responsible for many of the accidents so far. Similarly, allowing persons to exit from the Simpson’s complex and drive across oncoming traffic to exit onto the Chefette road is another slew of major accidents waiting to happen. That road should be totally blocked out. It will always be a menace to life and limb. In addition, the pedestrian crossing leading from the Simpson’s complex to Chefette, looks like another potential death trap.

    MTW and the COW WIlliams people need to spend at least a morning or afternoon looking down on the roundabout from upstairs Simpson’s motors or the Super Centre complex and observe carefully how people are actually using the roundabout. If they spend a whole morning or afternoon they will almost certainly see several near misses and perhaps a few accidents, all caused by very unclear planning and signage.

    Its urgent to take action now before somebody gets killed there.

  8. Transporter Avatar
    Transporter

    I must confess that I never use the centre lane to go towards CGI, I always use the right lane.
    Using the centre lane for that manoeuvre, imho, is the height of idiocy.

    I mean, how can you have people coming from UWI using the right lane to get to the gas station and then at the same time telling people coming from Welches, they cannot use that same right lane to get to the said gas station?

    Anyway, the right lane coming down from Welches was marked over today. “UWI Only” has now been changed to straight ahead or turn right arrow.

    Now someone will only have to clarify if “straight” means ABC and right means CGI or UWI, or if “straight” means “CGI only”.

    Things should hopefully be a little clearer then. 😉

  9. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    On Tuesday morning around 10.30am at Warrens round about I saw a woman driving around the roundabout on the right hand side instead of keeping left. All cars were going towards her and she was trying to make her way though us. This is not the first time I have seen people doing this. This woman was a local and not a tourist!

  10. The Scout Avatar
    The Scout

    islandgal246
    Are you sure that woman wasn’t you? You’re dumb enough to do that.

  11. Transporter Avatar
    Transporter

    Looka trouble…
    Onward Christian soldier… 🙂

  12. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    Scout there is no one dumber than you on this blog since you were voted the dumbest blogger for 2011 you are vying for that title again this year. GO TO BED YOU OLD GEEZER!

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