Maintaining law and order: The deadly traffic culture

A CULTURE of Law and Order is the basic element upon which civilisation is denominated. No country, society or community has ever been successful without it.
Our ability to maintain strong institutions is the bedrock of good governance, economic development and wealth creation; it is an indispensable part of human existence.

In Guyana over the last two decades, we have developed an insidious and pervasive culture of lawlessness, which is probably the single greatest threat to our development. No amount of oil will bring prosperity, except we are able to find ways to curb this culture.

Today I focus on our traffic culture. As a normal way of life, we ride bicycles without bell and prescribed night lights; we install unapproved vehicular headlights; we routinely apply illegal tints; motorcyclists wear unapproved helmets or none at all; minibuses routinely ply unapproved routes, blare loud obscene music, speed and overload.

We fester a preponderance of unlicensed taxi drivers, all of whom charge any fare they deem fit.
We encourage touting and harassment of passengers; we use decorative and unapproved number plates; we allow our domestic and farm animals to wander in the heart of town; we install all kinds of psychedelic blinking tail-lights; we blast our horns in front of schools, court houses and places of worship, and neglect to stop at pedestrian crossings.

SO OUT-OF-HAND
All of this goes on unabated in full view of law enforcement and policymakers. It is so out-of-hand that law enforcement officers are seen engaging in these same practices with impunity.

Over the last few years, several police officers have been charged or disciplined for causing accidents or public panic while driving drunk. In fact, in some circles, it is believed that drunk driving was responsible for the deaths of former Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene and Deputy Commissioner, Balram Persaud.

Officers are known to extort bribes from motorists: “Decide yuh mind; is either leff or rite! Leff something before ah rite dis ticket!” is a well known pervasive traffic culture.
And it’s not uncommon to see a police officer in uniform riding in an extremely overloaded minibus, where the conductor has to stand with his buttocks hanging out the window to make room for the 23rd passenger in a 15-seater minibus.

These things are done with such brazenness and impunity, to the point where it has taken foothold and become an imbedded part of the traffic culture.
These things, if taken in isolation, may appear to be simple infractions which we even joke about, but it is no laughing matter when it results in the death of a loved one.

This pervasive culture of lawlessness has been eating away at our value system; deadening our collective conscience while contributing to a general breakdown of law and order.

SO COMPROMISED
When our collective value system has been so compromised that it threatens public safety, negatively impacts governance, and ultimately retard development, it is time for condign knee jerking and comprehensive response.

Our response over the years has been like applying a plaster to a hemorrhaging wound. We simply just litter the streets with speed humps to curb speeding. Then there is the occasional flare-up campaign for the removal of illegal tints and loud music etc. And the very day the campaign ends, it’s back to life as usual.

Guyana cries out for the denouement of the rounds of piecemeal campaigns. A comprehensive, sustained road transportation policy is needed to target cultural reorientation; every citizen must join hands with policymakers. A strong case could be made for the establishment of a Department of Motor Vehicle and Traffic Management that will cater for vehicular registrations, licensing, certification, traffic studies, transport policy and planning and road safety management.

As it stands, motor vehicle and traffic management is fragmented and divided among several agencies: The Ministry of Public Infrastructure is responsible for transport planning; the Guyana Revenue Authority for vehicular licensing, modification, registration and driver’s licence; The Ministry of Public Security for tint permits and security modifications such as bullet proofing etc; while the Police is responsible for road fitness and law enforcement.

AN ANTIQUATED ARRANGEMENT
This arrangement is antiquated, and may even perpetuate the status quo. Case in point, the MoPS was in the process of researching new vehicular number plates with certain built-in security features to assist with crime fighting and traffic management.

GRA asserted its right, under the law, to be the lead agency to design and implement the number plates.
Ostensibly, GRA is not too enthusiastic. The nation has heard nothing of that project for the last two years.

This can be avoided if all the services are brought under one agency for uniformed policy implementation and law enforcement. The current administrative structure was designed more than 50 years ago, and has served its purpose. However, we have reached the point where the current arrangement is no longer efficient.

In closing, here is another reason why I do not favour the M&CC’s parking-meter project. In its current form, it adds another piecemeal layer, instead of being a cog in a larger comprehensive national traffic management plan.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.