Government in answering the calls of parents for improved road safety facilities along Woolford Avenue,has begun construction of a pavement to accommodate pedestrians in a bid to minimise if not prevent accidents there.
The avenue is commonly used by students of several schools and colleges – including the Government Technical Institute (GTI), North Ruimveldt Primary, Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), Tutorial High, St. Joseph High, North Georgetown Secondary, Critchlow Labour College and Texilla American University.
Woolford Avenue is known for being a chaotic zone after school in the afternoons as children stroll along the lane to Vlissengen or Camp Roads or Lamaha Street to get public transportation to go home.
Many times students scamper along the streets in playful mode on their way out, even as traffic flows through the very road, posing a threat of traffic danger.
On December 9, 2015, Guyana Chronicle published a caption story accompanied by photograph headlined ‘Schoolchildren facing traffic peril’.
The article pointed out that hundreds of school children who attend several schools along Woolford Avenue walked through the high traffic area where there is no pavement for pedestrians.
“In the perilous circumstances, motor vehicles vie for space among the throngs of lively but vulnerable schoolchildren along the narrow roadway,” the article observed.
The photograph was taken during Road Safety Month in November 2015 just after schools were dismissed one afternoon.
Concerned parents and teachers had invited Guyana Chronicle to highlight the dangers along the avenue with the hope of authorities becoming aware of the traffic peril and fixing the problem.
Just outside North Georgetown Secondary School, this publication snapped workers constructing a pavement (walkway) along Woolford Avenue, in Georgetown.
Now as the problem is being fixed, the Guyana Chronicle highlights this road safety feature,giving credit to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for answering the calls of concerned Guyanese.
Here in these photographs, road construction workers are at work.
Efforts made to contact Ministry of Public Infrastructure officials for further information on the project proved futile.
Parents and students from several of the schools are thankful to Government for installing the road safety feature and look forward for the continuation of the project.