A Safer Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School
The students at Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School are now safer when coming to and leaving school, thanks to the installation of parking barriers. It may come as an inconvenience to some motorists, but the school says the barriers have become a necessity on one of the city’s busiest roads. The project was possible through collaboration with the Government of Belize, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Youth for Road Safety Organization. News Five’s Paul Lopez was present for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the school today. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Parking barriers have been placed in front of Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School on Coney Drive. The stanchions extend for approximately one hundred yards on both sides of the roadway in front the school, and its purpose is to create a safer school zone for the two hundred and forty-two students in attendance. This project was spearheaded by The Second Belize Road Safety Project Initiative under the Ministry of Economic Development.
Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development
Dr. Osmond Martinez
“The most important part of this project, with the main outcome is to save lives and the lives of our children. Historically it has shown that in the last five years a total of fourteen great minds were lost, six of which are females, and eight boys, schools students. So there is a collaborative effort within the Government of Belize, the Ministry of Education, ministry of Transport, Health, Economic Development, to put some projects and pilot projects to improve the safety measures for children and of course for every citizen of our country.”
Coney Drive is considered a main thoroughfare in the city. A study on the traffic flow in the area has revealed that an estimated four hundred vehicles pass in front of the primary school during dismissal, between two to three p.m. Principal Avril Arthurs says the parking barrier were urgently needed.
Avril Arthurs
Avril Arthurs, Principal, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School
“Here at Buttonwood Bay as you might notice we are right in front of the road which means it puts our students at risk, at risk whenever they have to travel to and from when coming or going to school. We really had a need for some form of intervention because there has been some close incidents right in front of the school. As was mentioned during my speech we did have four years ago a parent come to pick up her child’s report. She was knocked right off the pedestrian crossing. It was a hit and run. Fortunately for that parent she rolled and it was not a serious injury. But it could happen to any of our students because the drivers we notice, especially when they are in a rush are not respecting the pedestrians using the cross.”
The school is working to upgrade its parking lot to accommodate drop offs and pickups. But, the barriers may likely come as an inconvenience to motorists who are accustomed to parking in the area for various reasons. Caribbean Shores Area Representative, Kareem Musa, says he fully endorses the project.
Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores
Kareem Musa
“I as the area representative for Caribbean Shores, I fully embrace and I welcome this safe school zone project that is implemented by various ministries in collaborations with YOURS out of the Netherlands. I would want to say that those motorist who are against this project or any project of this kind, they perhaps do not have a child that attends this school or Canaan or any school in this vicinity. So we need to be more mindful as motorists, not because you don’t have a child at this particular school means you should find it as some sort of an inconvenience. We have seen where we have lost so many lives; fourteen young lives were lost as a result of road traffic accidents. We are taking a proactive step to ensure that none of that accident happens within this particular corridor. It si very trafficked since it runs parallel to the Phillip Goldson Highway and it is absolutely essential given the nature of this location and the number of vehicles that pass here each day that we protect our young children and ensure we provide the most safe environment for them when they are going home or coming to school.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez
