– Public Works Minister says

MINISTER of Public Works, Juan Edghill on Wednesday said that regulations are on the cards to ensure that weight restrictions for trucks are enforced to prevent damage to Guyana’s roadways.

The minister made this disclosure during the consideration of estimates and expenditure for his ministry during which questions arose in relation to the crafting of weight-limit regulations.

The minister was at the time speaking about the maintenance of roads and sums allocated to same and as such, he noted that there has been an ongoing issue with trucks. Giving an example, he explained that some roads are built to carry an axle load of 8.2 tonnes and are sometimes fetching 25 tonnes per axle.

With that, he said that the weight is then no longer on the axle but is instead transferred to the roads that they traverse.

An example of the damage caused by these overloaded trucks, he said, can be seen on the western carriageway of the East Bank Demerara road.

He added, “We are building the roads with international standards, but our people are not following the standards when it comes to the loading of trucks and the using of trucks.”

Further to this, when asked by Opposition Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir about where the country is in terms of crafting weight-limit regulations, Edghill noted that a consultancy is currently being undertaken for that project.

He added that this consultancy is being undertaken with the support of the IDB and he noted that this will be followed through thoroughly.

“I can tell you that even before we come to laws, weight restriction should not become another form of doing a side hustle on the road… It’s not just about a fine, because if you fine the person and you allow them to come through with the weight then they will,” Edghill said.

However, he added that when the time comes for the National Assembly to discuss the issue of weight restrictions, he hopes that it will have the full support of every member of the house.

Meanwhile, he further indicated that the government is anxious to have draft regulations crafted, but noted that this is a work in progress.

However, as that continues, the minister urged that there must be voluntary compliance by those using the roadways.