Near Warwick Post Office. A pedestrian activates the flashing lights at the crosswalk. There's also a crossing guard there, who begins walking across with their stop sign in hand to ensure traffic halts. A car slows down and stops.
You guessed it. A motorbike behind the car, zooms past and overtakes the car and flies over the crossing, bisecting the pedestrian and the crossing guard.
Nothing is going to change until bad drivers are penalised for their actions. Trying to trend hashtags like #drivesafelybdansavealife is not going to have any impact. Neither is "Just Go Slow" PR campaigns. Education is all well and good for people just joining the vehicle-usage community, but people who abuse the laws of the road because they know there are no consequences are never going to be swayed.
Yes, hard hitting messages need to be pushed out there including the Dejon Simons story, but it must go in parcel with some major enforcement of the current legislation. And it absolutely cannot be a two-week thing, there has to be a lengthy commitment to driving home the point that abysmal road use behaviour cannot be tolerated.
The powers that be want to have a Summit at the end of January, more than two weeks away. And perhaps, after 4 or 5 meetings to congratulate themselves on forming their special committees, they will reveal a PowerPoint presentation and that will lead to planning out how to implement their strategy. What would be preferable is to get together *yesterday*, take the various ideas floated and pushed out already, run the options by the Police and other enforcement agencies, and get going. Now. What are they waiting for?
5 comments:
We have to find a way in which we can enforce the consequences of bad driving, and the consequences have to be harsh and sharp too.
Two things would help imho. Cameras - lots of them at known speeding areas initially and then additional cameras in other areas as we go forward. On all traffic lights too. Camera technology to be able to record plate and send out fines automatically to the license holder. The argument, "I wasn't driving" has to be a no-go. If you own it, you pay the fine. That will stop lending of cars and bikes.
Two - Get police officers off their asses, out of the office and from behind their desks and get them on the road. Give them speed check instruments.
Those are two good suggestions. The first should already have been considered and planned (do the research, find costs, measure feasibility, etc) by TPTB, unless they're waiting for the "Summit".
The second is a no-brainer. Get the enforcement folks out there... and not in the usual spots like East Broadway and Kindley Field or any straight road.
I'm glad the police produced their plan, it is a start. But I was really disappointed that Education and Works were not up there to explain how they will do their part. The Police Commissioner stated recently that the Island's infrastructure was outdated (works) and the plan places focus on the need to educate people (start with the kids: education.)
Airing the Dejon Simons story isn't going to do jack sh*t . I remember watching it years ago when it aired (and it's airing was very well publicized in advance) .. horrified , despite the fact that he had made a foolish mistake and brought it all on himself .
The next day the mayhem and lawlessness on the street continued unabated.
The problem here is there is an overwhelming number of people unable to think or act in a civilized way on the roads.
Like I said earlier in my fourth paragraph, re-airing the story would only be part and parcel of a greater scheme. Besides, the target audience who would need such a reality check, likely wouldn't be interested in watching such a documentary.
So I do agree, it of itself (and the other things like hashtag spreading, radio and TV clips and press releases urging people to 'just slow down') won't do jack.
The all-carrot strategy should have long ago been put aside. Bermuda needs a little carrot and a whole lot of stick... in the form of enforcing the existing laws and getting bad drivers off the road.
Your last statement says it all. "The problem here is there is an overwhelming number of people unable to think or act in a civilized way on the roads." I'd possibly amend "unable" to "unable or unwilling", but I agree with the general gist.
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