Let’s take back the streets

So, we wanted the Government to fix the roads and, to some degree, they have. Constant Spring Road is now a lot nicer, notwithstanding the raised manhole covers that drivers of low-riding vehicles will find challenging.

However, the two lanes up and down, with the median between, should make traversing the corridor a lot smoother than it was in years gone by.

Well, that is if we can just control the undisciplined drivers of taxis and buses that have taken over the streets. Imagine, a portion of the median was removed so that the authorities could install a crosswalk, only to see pedestrians battling for that space with bus and cab drivers who are using the same space as a turning point.

Earlier this week, a bus was seized after a motorist snapped a photograph of it turning across the crosswalk. That was followed by outbursts after police required the person who took the picture to show up and swear to the integrity of said picture.

no hand in change

To me, it is not a big deal. It seems as if most of us would like to have no hand in changing the way things are, but we still expect things to change, regardless. I fully agree that many of our laws are antiquated, and I believe that the police should be given the technology that will enable them to determine whether a photo is fake or not.

There are experts who should be able to do that, but, until that happens, we as citizens need to do our part as well. The police cannot do everything; we also need to take the necessary steps if things are to be brought under control.

There is chaos on our streets. Drivers of public passenger vehicles seem to be operating on their own rules, much to the chagrin of everyone else. This cannot be allowed to continue.

In the meantime, the authorities can and should install spikes on those pedestrian crossings to deter these reckless drivers. Trust me, the first time they blow out two front tyres, a driver will never try turning there again. Until the spikes are installed, the sanctions for drivers should be hiked. Let us say $500,000, and the driver’s licence suspended for six months, and should be aggressively enforced.

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