Dear Editor,
I decided to pen this letter out of absolute frustration. As a resident of West Coast Demerara, I am forced to traverse the Demerara Harbour Bridge at least six days per week. Those who live on the west side are aware of how torturous crossing the bridge is on mornings, particularly between 6:00-9:00hrs. On the East Bank, the traffic is relatively well-managed. However, I cannot share the same commendations for our side.
Mr Editor, I speak mainly about the way the police handle traffic leading up to the bridge on mornings. First, several vehicles are allowed special privileges of accessing the bridge using a ‘special lane’. The list of people being given special privileges seems to be expanding. I voted for this administration because I was tired of people being exalted above the poor and ordinary man because they knew someone in authority. It, therefore, hurts to see the police allowing this to continue by allowing so many people access to the special lane because they know someone in the police force and may have some level of seniority in the government. My view is that any special consideration to access the bridge should be afforded to emergency vehicles and government ministers.

Everyone else should be made to join the line and toil in the gridlock traffic like the rest of us. I did some assessment of the situation, and it occurred to me that the regular line of traffic accesses the bridge much faster when there are not many vehicles in the special lane. It can reasonably be concluded that allowing so many vehicles to access the bridge with special privileges may be further compounding the traffic flow problem.

Secondly, the way traffic is managed is unpredictable. You can never say for certainty what time the additional access road will be closed or how many lanes will be utilised. This brings me to my final point. The police allow four lanes of traffic to head to the bridge, but these lanes are forced to automatically merge into two lanes (during 7:05-7:25), and one lane otherwise. However, the police make no intervention on how this merging will be facilitated. This results in several scratches and scrapes as vehicles forge ahead.

I believe what is required on the west side are critical thinkers; brilliant officers who can adequately assess the situation and bring order and predictability to the morning traffic. Above all, let us not have a Guyana, where citizens return to feeling that they must watch the privileged benefit from the easy life, while ordinary citizens sit and suck it up. I am hoping for some intervention from the Commissioner of Police and the President.

Regards
Peter Thom