MP Dwayne Robinson On Road Safety
We must do our best to address road safety, Dwayne Robinson said, with the OBA MP suggesting that the government release an updated national road safety plan, invest more funds to improve the condition of the roads, support TCD with increasing the enforcement of our transport laws and more.
Mr Robinson — the Shadow Minister of Tourism, Culture and Transport — said, “The primary focus recently of most Bermudians is finding solutions to the violent crime impacting the island and rightfully so. The recent gun violence and loss of life have rocked the community to its core.
“As we hopefully pull together to address that massive problem, we must also do our best to address road safety. I believe the two issues are linked to the change of culture we are experiencing.
“Getting a handle on poor driving habits, improving road conditions, and beginning a cultural shift towards safer driving will free up much needed police resources to other pressing community issues. This is another problem we cannot solve overnight or police our way out of. This requires a comprehensive long-term plan which includes increased road safety education initiatives, a comprehensive review of our laws to explore stronger punishments for negligence on our roads, and extensive community consultation to ensure that the community has its voice heard regarding solutions.
“Unfortunately, the last rolled out national plan from the Government was “Operation Caution” which was to run from 2018 to 2023 under the remit of the Road Safety Council. The work of the Road Safety Council is ongoing and appreciated but there needs to be an updated cohesive strategy, to address the systemic issue over time.
“Here are some suggestions for our government to implement:
- “An updated national road safety plan for 2025 and beyond to meet the urgency of the issue
- “More funds invested in keeping our roads in good condition and foliage properly maintained, for improved safety on the road
- “Establishment of a separate infrastructure fund to preserve funds specifically for infrastructure maintenance
- “Support TCD with increasing the enforcement of our transport laws
- “Weave road safety and good conduct on the road into our education system to prepare our young people outside of Project ride and in advance of attaining their driver’s license
- “Amplify the Road Safety Council’s community engagement to improve the participation of adults in road safety content
“This is not a message to shift any focus from the horrific murders and crime. This is a call for us to not lose sight of another massive issue that claims many Bermudian lives and leave others maimed for life. I believe these issues are two sides of the same coin and tackling them both with urgency will improve the overall safety of Bermudians.”
While both are significant issues I don’t believe they are directly correlated. Perhaps the only correlation I can see is a declining value for individuals’ lives.
Banning alcohol would cut fatalities in half, save millions in medical costs and wall and lightpole repairs. Insurance companies need to be fined and banned from providing insurance to drunks who crashed and belco had better charge people (Harbour Road ) for detroyind their equipment instead af slipping the costs onto the rest of our bills.
Just ban all cars, cycles, and bikes, and make everyone ride a bus or walk.
“make everyone ride a bus or walk”
No! Not those electric buses!
Are horses even allowed in town anymore? There are no carriages looking for fares on Front Street.
We all drive highway ready cars. They can barely get into top gear at our speeds.
We drive cars that are simply too big for the roads. We have a huge percentage of people who simply cannot drive and spend most of their time driving distracted with a phone conversation going on.
A partial solution would be to introduce smaller slower vehicles. Vehicles that are not capable of doing anywhere near highway speeds. Vehicles that are no larger than an A or B class car.
These vehicles exist. They are classed as side by side UTVs. They are street legal and are frequently seen running around towns in urban speed areas in the US and Canada.
They typically have engines of less than 1000cc and typically have a top speed of less than 40mph.
Not suitable for all but perfect for many.
For the past 25 years Bermuda has made conscious decision after conscious decision to allow bigger cars on our roads. About 20 years ago a decision was made to widen certain roads to accommodate bigger cars.
You suggestion may be sensible, but it goes against what has been government policy for the past 25 years.