One more campaign to tame traffic
Traffic: the seriousness of the problem is exceeded only by the number of times authorities announce measures to solve it. Here we go again.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It is not the first time that the police traffic branch and the Departments of Traffic and Transport have coordinated their efforts, but it will be the first time that all three agencies will work together in a concerted campaign to reduce the number of traffic accidents and violations countrywide.
A.S.P. Martin Yama, O.C. Traffic Branch
“It has gone to an extent whereby it is not occurring on a daily basis, but whenever they occur, you have major fatalities occurring on the highways in particular, but also within the city and towns.”
Assistant Inspector of Police and the Officer in Charge of the Traffic Branch, Martin Yama, stresses that the latest initiative is not to harass the driving public, but to make sure they’re not putting innocent lives at risk. Beginning this weekend, a team of police and traffic officers will be monitoring the flow of traffic to curb the number of offences. These violations range from illegal parking to drunk driving.
Yama, who will coordinate the national traffic enforcement, says in the first operation, motorists and cyclists will not be prosecuted, but only warned about the offence they have committed.
A.S.P. Martin Yama
“The reason for giving warning at this time is that we want to have that good public relations with the people. This is one thing that we are trying to build up. There are other aspects in relation to the planning of this for the future, but it will be in relation to educational aspect of it. I will travel to the other districts to sensitise the public as to road safety.”
(Jackie taking breathalyser)
My breathalyser test proved negative, but motorists planning on having a good time this weekend may not be so lucky. The equipment will be used to detect persons driving under the influence of alcohol. Radar guns will also be used to track those exceeding speed limits.
A.S.P. Martin Yama
“What we will do is we will go around in the city and even on the highways where there are these bars or nightclubs. And we will be paying close attention to drivers who go in there, and especially when they come out we’ll be using the breathalyser.”
“Speeding is one of the offences that causes accidents and this is a three approach. For example, we have the approach that we will be informing the people, educating them, or reminding them that that he speed limit within city limits or town limits is twenty-five miles per hour. Beyond the city or town limits it’s forty-five miles per hour, fifty-five per hour for small vehicles, and for buses, forty-five miles per hour.”
The operation will run at random times, focussing on peak traffic periods. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Since the beginning of this year, there has been a total of seven fatal traffic accidents that have claimed the lives of sixteen people. In the city, there have been nine serious accidents, one hundred and fifty minor incidents and seven hundred and seventy-six accidents where damage was confined to the vehicles involved.
