U.S. $5.9 Million for Road Safety Project
On Thursday, the Senate ratified a loan agreement between the Government of Belize and the Caribbean Development Bank for five point nine million U.S. dollars. The monies have been earmarked for G.O.B.’s Second Road Safety Project. In 2013, the Government borrowed seven point two million U.S. dollars for the first road safety project and later in 2015 an additional four point five million U.S. dollars was borrowed. The purpose of the third loan is for G.O.B. to strengthen and support improved road user awareness leading to behaviour change, post crash-care and road safety management. During the Senate Sitting, Senator for the Private Sector, Mark Lizarraga reiterated concerns relating to the lack of details shared to him and his colleagues.
Mark Lizarraga
Mark Lizarraga, Senator for Private Sector
“These loans in 2013 and 2015 that we have secured, the seven million and the four point five million, they are, and I stand to be corrected, to provide us with a demonstration corridor. We were going to have this demonstration corridor if, I believe, and I see the honorable Senator Barnett nodding her head, that we were supposed to have this demonstration corridor from Belmopan to Belize City. We saw work commence on the placing of signs, some lines, and some cat eyes- many of which did not survive very long. We saw shoulders being widened in some areas and in others, no shoulders were widened. We saw some areas of the highway where white lines on the sides were placed, other areas there were no white lines. Why I am saying this? It leads us back to our basic complaint over the years that we do not know what to expect when we borrow for these projects.”
Godwin Hulse
Minister Godwin Hulse, Senator for Government Business
“We trust that this is a national partnership with everybody using the highways. It does really require attitude changes and how people use the highway. Without those attitude changes, almost no amount of safety devices and monitoring will prevent some major accidents from happening.”
