“The day the highway stood still”
By FRANCIS JOSEPH
As a nation, we are still not ready!
God must certainly be a Trini as he has spared us on so many occasions from natural disaster.
Is a good thing, because those in authority would not be able to handle any disaster. Time and time again, we have seen the authorities failing to respond to what is called a “small disaster”.
What would happen if we have to respond to a hurricane, tropical storm, or earthquake? Just look at the television almost weekly to see how authorities in other countries respond to earthquakes, storms and war.
In Trinidad, a little rain and is a big thing. A man killed on the highway and his body remains there for five hours before a District Medical Officer turns up.
Just look at what happened on January 23.
A man killed while trying to cross the westbound lane of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway left thousands of motorists stuck in gridlock traffic for close to five hours.
Traffic was backed up to Piarco in the east and Chaguanas in the south.
The man was killed around 5.20 am. But it was not until 10.30 am that the traffic was allowed to flow freely. Why? The police at the scene cordoned off to allow forensic officers to retrieve the body of Krishna Ramgas, 66. Five hours?
Why did it take the police so long to remove the body of one man killed on the highway? That decision frustrated thousands of people including workers and school children. Just look at social media later that day.
Frustration galore as motorists expressed their feelings at the inaction of the authorities. It is not the first time that this has happened. It is a regular feature of daily life in this country. Where was the ODPM?
Social media was abuzz.
Raquel Brown: “The powers that be need to do better with regard to removing bodies in a more efficient manner! Having a person on a roadway waiting for the DMO, etc., for HOURS is unacceptable!”
Rebekah Guerrero: “Better has to be done!!! A single accident cannot be the cause of gridlock traffic for HOURS and in SEVERAL parts of the country far from where it even happened.
After being stuck in traffic for over an hour and not making it to even 1/4 of my commute to the office, I was forced to return home.
“Additionally, I am beginning to think we need to build tall walls in the medians (like there are in some parts of the US). Yesterday, I saw a man climb over the median to run across the highway and there was a pedestrian crossing a few feet away. These people are putting innocent people at risk, who will then have to live with the guilt and trauma of manslaughter, which could have been avoided.
Jameel Hosein: “Over 3 hours to reach pos this morning from South … ridiculous …”
This is just the latest incident. During the last rainy season, whenever it rains, Port-of-Spain floods and is pressure for everyone.
Once the sky looks heavy, productivity takes a hit as workers head out of town. This has been so for years and all we hear is ole talk that something will be done to alleviate flooding in the capital city. When would this happen? No one can say.
