How will this menace be stopped?
Editorial
IN THIS political high season, it is difficult for pressing non-political matters to get attention but major concerns cannot be wished away. One of these is the nightmare passengers using the public transportation system dominated by mini-buses have to go through daily.
Our issue yesterday featured the latest example of what they have to endure and it is important to recall what happened.
Within a few hours Thursday, there were two accidents involving mini-buses - one in the city and the other on the East Bank Demerara.
And the one thing that dominates accidents of this nature is speeding and speeding was clearly responsible for these latest mishaps.
A mother of four and now eight months pregnant was among the injured in the city accident and young students were among those in the other collision.
According to the mother in the city accident, the bus she was in, called `Notorious Big', was being "recklessly driven".
She said she was sitting in the front and saw another bus at the junction of Smyth and Durban streets and it did not stop.
Because of the speed at which the bus she was in was travelling it was impossible for the driver to stop to avoid a collision, the pregnant mother reported.
The vehicles crashed and two others parked nearby were damaged in the collision, she said.
`Notorious Big' ended up in the door of a nearby shop and the driver fled, reports said.
Rank unconcern by the reckless -- and innocent women, men and children suffer broken bones, pain, agony and God knows what deep trauma from such scrapes with death.
Some are maimed for life and get little or no compensation.
Daily the monsters ride in their chariots of daring and recklessness and no one seems to be able to jerk the reins.
Tough new measures were last year promised against speeding and other forms of road lawlessness but these have not yet materialised and the speed monsters reign supreme on the roads.
Housewives, mothers, children, old folks and others who depend on these mini-buses to move from place to place daily must not be made to endure this madness much longer.
Under the current scheme of things they have little choice to the mini-buses.
The only alternative for thousands wanting to travel from place to place may be to walk and while walking may be good exercise, it's not the preferred mode of transportation in the modern world.
Other countries have found solutions to problems like these and surely it is not beyond the ability of the authorities here to find the courage to do what has to be done.
In spite of the understandable demands of the current political season, some thought has to be given to dealing with this pressing issue.
The nightmare has to be ended soon.
 Follow the goings-on in Guyana
|