A GROUP of truck/lorry drivers during a meeting with Traffic Chief Ian Amsterdam yesterday morning

expressed disgust at the way some minibus drivers operate on the roads.The meeting was held at New Hope Public Road, East Bank Demerara around 07:50hrs with Amsterdam and other senior traffic officers in an effort to address their concerns.

Amsterdam told this publication that the group, consisting of 50 men, expressed their concerns about the way some minibus drivers behave at the wheels of their vehicles on the roads, especially on the East Bank corridor.

He explained that the men said some minibus drivers cut in directly in front of them and it is of concern, since a truck cannot come to a stop abruptly which often results in an unavoidable accident which can cost lives.

Amsterdam also reported that the truck operators requested that the speed limit be revised, since newer models of trucks on the market go faster and the current speed limit of 15 miles per hour is out of date.

At the meeting, the senior officer also rebuked the truck drivers for poorly lit vehicles at nights and advised them to replace non-operable bulbs and to give up the old trick of saying, “bulb just blow” when stopped by a traffic cop.

The traffic chief stated that they have come to an agreement with the truck drivers, who asked that their waiting time be reduced once there is a free flow of traffic on the East Bank corridor.

He explained that normally, trucks are parked from 07:00 to 09:00hrs daily before they can traverse and they are asking that they be allowed to go about their business at about 08:30hrs to ply their trade to varying destinations on the East Bank.

Amsterdam added that they are putting stringent measures in place to step up their campaign on speeding and overloading, which are contributing factors to accidents.

He stressed the need for support from the courts countrywide, since police ticketing matters are not being addressed; as such, there is a huge backlog in traffic cases.

Amsterdam said, “The defaulters know that traffic matters in the courts are not being expedited and that is contributing to the lawlessness on our roads across the country.”

He pointed out that speeding, among other things, continues to be of great concern to the Traffic Department and they are appealing to all road users to be considerate of each other utilising the same limited space on our roadways.

Amsterdam said that they have recorded a 30% decrease in all accidents compared to last year, when there was a 50% reduction in road accidents and 55% in fatalities.

He disclosed that this year, they have tallied seven accidents with eight deaths, while for the corresponding period last year they had 10 accidents with 11 deaths.

Amsterdam told this publication that for this year, of the eight lives lost in road accidents, five were pedestrians, one pedal cyclist, one passenger in a bus and one passenger in a car.

The traffic chief is expected to meet with Route 45 and 44 minibus operators this week to iron out issues of concern to them.

(By Michel Outridge)