Police Issue Nearly 70 Traffic Tickets So Far Today
“Close to 70 traffic tickets have been issued since 7:00am today, including 40 so far for speeding and 10 for using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle,” the police said at approximately noon today [Aug 17].
The spokesperson said, “The remaining tickets were issued for a range of other traffic offences. These road safety and enforcement efforts are ongoing islandwide throughout today, with officers maintaining an increased presence on Bermuda’s roads.
“Despite this increased police presence, some motorists continue to demonstrate a concerning disregard for the rules of the road and the safety of others.
“The Bermuda Police Service once again urges all road users to slow down, exercise caution and remain considerate of others. Road safety is a shared responsibility, and every decision made behind the wheel can have serious consequences. Please do your part to help keep Bermuda’s roads safe.”
“Despite this increased police presence, some motorists continue to demonstrate a concerning disregard for the rules of the road and the safety of others”
The BPS has not regularly enforced traffic laws for a generation or more. Why do the results surprise anyone?
The very fact that so many speeding tickets were issued in a short period makes it glaringly obvious that Bermudians are sick of the low speed limit we are forced to endure, which was set for horse and buggy with max average speed of 35kph, almost a century ago. We don’t live in a dictatorship, we live in a democracy, which means the people’s wishes matter. Time to raise the limit as appropriate and have varied speed limits through the island. Any civilized nation, Canada for example, have roads similar to ours, one lane wide thru residential neighborhoods with posted 65kph and even 80kph limits. The fact Kindley field road is 35kph is ridiculous, you could safely travel 50mph on that road, for example. Harbor road bendy areas would warrant 35kph, eg.
“the low speed limit we are forced to endure, which was set for horse and buggy with max average speed of 35kph, almost a century ago”
There was no speed limit in the days of “horse and buggy” and Bermuda did not have motorcars or motorcycles a century ago, or even 75 years ago.
Comparing Bermuda to Canada, the second largest country in the world by land mass, is like comparing an ant to an elephant.
As for safe speed limits being dictated by the people, if you believe that is appropriate then all laws should be abolished and everyone should do as they please.
Absolutely agree with you. People are unwilling to analyze common sense road rules that any country should have. Bermuda is special but that doesn’t mean that we can’t take a lesson from other road laws around the world. Kindley field road is absolutlely safe to drive at 50mph but the police constantly polices that road instead of policing areas where accidents are happening! It isn’t just a matter of personal preference, this is a legitimate misallocation of policing.
“Kindley field road is absolutlely safe to drive at 50mph”
Really? What factors did you take into account in making that safety assessment?
I drive on Kindley Field road every single day and have done for almost 8 years. The typical speed during morning commute without police out on that road is 60kmph, meaning 60kmph is the speed for most drivers that time of day and you will likely be overtaken if going under that speed.
NEVER seen a single accident. And I have only heard of incidents wherein people fall off their bikes due to high wind speed or wet roads. It is a wide and straight road with easy visibility.
There should be a higher speed limit on Kindley Field Road than most roads in Bermuda, and we should make it clear that the exception to a higher speed limit is when the road conditions are bad.
I also find it concerning that the government chose to spend millions of our dollars on speed camera systems which the public do not want, which will be used to further fine the public. When the road conditions on our island cause many to have accidents and die, or have close calls with death on a regular basis – yet they would rather spend millions on cameras and still force us to ride on the deadly roads. Does this make sense to a sensible person? Not one intelligent person has pointed out that by installing these cameras and being able to issue repeated automatic tickets to any one person, this would warrant a reduction in speed fines and penalties. Being fined $300 or $400 for doing 35mph is insanity, and an abuse of human rights in frank opinion. There should also be fines for going under the speed limit. On a daily basis I am stuck behind drivers who slump along between 25kph and 35kph on main roads, which should be against the law, as would be held in any other civilized nation.
“I also find it concerning that the government chose to spend millions of our dollars on speed camera systems which the public do not want, which will be used to further fine the public.”
You are not alone in that concern. But the cameras are not used to fine people. They are there for show. Whether and, if so, how many cameras actually work is an open question. The PLP Government will not tell us.
The fact of the matter is that the PLP Government purchased and installed the cameras so they could say there were doing something about crime, not to actually detect or prevent crime.