(REALNEWS)The head of the Traffic Department, ASP Elson Quammie, says that many of the secondary roads across the island need to be properly developed and repaired in order to alleviate congestion on the major thoroughfares.
The daily congestion, he says, contributes to the high incidence of traffic collisions.
On Friday, May 5, alone, there were 11 accidents, the Traffic head reports. He says that six of these were rear-end collisions – which show that motorists are really not paying attention to their surroundings or to the road.
While he acknowledges that every major road is very congested, because of the number of vehicles on island, Quammie says he does not know where the authorities will find space, anytime soon, to ease the congestion and allow the volume of traffic to flow more smoothly.
Accordingly, his vision for traffic is the development of secondary roads, properly marked with “No Parking” and “No Stopping” signs.
The senior police officer also believes that some streets must be converted to one-way traffic, so there is better access from the major roads into the by-roads and secondary roads.
But in the meantime, he says that fixing the secondary roads and having them properly marked are also critical if they are to be used as one-way streets and as no-parking areas.
Quammie says this was a part of the Force’s “Traffic 2020 Vision.” Sadly, he says, the Police were unable to realize it as envisioned, due to the lack of resources. Therefore, it will be a while before the changes can be implemented, he says.
Meanwhile, he is appealing to drivers to pay attention, since the slightest glance away from the road can find them in a collision.
