OVER 13 officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Traffic Department received training last Wednesday on the proper use of the soon-to-be- commissioned $78.9 million Kitty roundabout.

The officers are a part of the first set of training being conducted by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Maintenance, Traffic and Safety, Transport Department and Planning and Design Engineer Department.

The new roundabout is being constructed with the intention of improving traffic flow and better regulating drivers, who are travelling on the East Coast of Demerara, Carifesta Avenue or in the vicinity of Kitty.

In keeping with its intention, the officers were were educated on the dos and don’ts for motor vehicles, pedal cyclists and motor cyclists; pedestrian crossings; the speed limit when approaching the roundabout and the right of way when in circulatory lanes.
They were also briefed on the movement of traffic on the Kitty Public Road, JB Singh Road, Carifesta Avenue and the seawall roads. To aid their understanding, the 13 officers were presented with booklets entitled, ‘A Guide to Using the Kitty Roundabout’.
Speaking on the relevance of the construction, Chief Transport and Planning Officer Patrick Thompson said that it was an engineering decision to improve the circulation of traffic at the Kitty junction.

He said too that under certain conditions, roundabouts can prove to be more efficient than traffic signals, further explaining:

“A traffic count was conducted by the department and it was discovered that based on the volumes that were circulating at the different legs of the junction, where one leg was having 15 seconds and another 20 or 30 seconds.

“When the condition changes during off-peak hours, vehicles are made to stop at an intersection, while over on another lane it is empty.”

Adding to this, Maintenance Traffic and Safety Project Coordinator Kester Hinds, said that it was fitting that the GPF Traffic Department is the first to be trained as through the training, they would be better able to educate drivers.

Soon, Hinds said, public relations campaigns will begin in the media to sensitise the public on the use of the roundabout. Similar training was provided to the Guyana Fire Service and Medical Emergency personnel on Thursday.

The construction of the roundabout commenced earlier this year and is expected to be completed by mid-May, ahead of schedule.