PSVs behaving badly.. as usual

President of the Association of Public Service Vehicle Operators, Mr. Morris Lee, needs to get out on the street and see what his members are up to. While we imagine that his attempts to convince the public that it is only a few drivers that conduct themselves in a manner which is unfit for the public roads, those few are putting people’s lives at risk for a few dollars.

Let the pictures tell the story and keep posted this blog.

ZR55 Off route

Can't wait

ZR55 gets into the mix

The driver of the Vitara was not to be left out of the "Reverse Jambust" either! Shame on her

PSVs commit to better standards..yeah right!

On page 5 of the Weekend Nation, the president of the Publis Service Vehicle Operators, Mr. Morris Lee, commits that a zero tolerance approach will be adopted against indisipline by operators who seek to bring the system into disrepute.

While these are words that we all like to hear, who is going to be watching? When a ZR or mini-bus leaves the terminal and is driven at either a ridiculously fast or slow pace, who is going to report the driver? What about when they cut in lanes in front of other motorists, or casually drive through “No Entry” signs?

Are the penalties going to be more severe and immediate? years ago, a driver who had over 100 convictions was slapped on the wrist by a judge. How can an owner who knows that one of his drivers had been before the law courts so many times, still allow him to pilot a PSV? Is it just the almighty dollar that counts?

Barbados needs to have a full time traffic warden/police patrol system, but until then, we as road users should be the eyes and should not be afraid to highlight the nonsense that happens on our roads each and every day. Simple Bajan, for sure, will be doing our duty and posting pics of any lawless behaviour that we happen to see on our travels.

Take these for example, taken coming from Wildey going towards the Upton Junction – the usual pushover by a minibus and the “proceed to the junction in the lane to go straight and then turn right”.

Move Over! -1

Move Over! -2

Move Over! -3

ZR – 1

ZR – 2

ZR – 3

ZR – 4

The height of arrogance

Today’s Nation Newspaper contains an article about the traffic changes in Wildey and the effect on local businesses. My casual observation shows that the Shell gas station has suffered a large down-turn in business and this is reinforced by the fact that mine was the only vehicle in the station on Tuesday evening at 5:15 pm, which is usually a busy time for them.

I was appalled therefore, when I read the same article that the Project Manager of the Barbados Road Network Infrastructure Improvement Project (that was a mouthful) stated that there was no intention to hold town hall meetings “as he preferred one-on-one dialogue (with business owners) which the public relations companies could arrange”.

Is this a classic case of “divide and rule”?? He also seemed to brush off concerns about the change in bus route and inconvenience to commuters was “something we had recognised before but somehow nothing was done about it. The technical officer will deal with that situation.

It seems that the Ministry is of the opinion that they have a job to do and consulting with road users and business owners is an unnecessary distraction. After all, what can lay people possibly know about traffic management??

It only took 4 days!

The Ministry of Transport has made changes to the traffic flow in the Wildey area as part of Operation Free Flow. Part of this change is making the stretch from Shell Wildey going towards town one way; the left being for traffic headed towards town and the right lane for traffic to proceed on to the road between Carters and the Texaco gas station heading back towards Upton.

Well it only took 4 days for public service vehicle drivers to realise that they could beat the traffic in the left lane, by proceeding in right lane all the way down to the Texaco station and then forcing themselves back into the left lane.

Check the footage from my dashcam.

Jambusted

Top Rock roundabout is a free-for-all every week day morning with ZRs making third lanes or taking the right lane but continuing onto St. Lawrence (“reverse” jambusting) instead of proceeding into the roundabout.  And we know that once the precedent is set otherwise sensible persons follow suit.

Then there are the jambusters who take the left land coming from the highway and instead of going on to Maxwell proceed around the roundabout and look as if nothing is wrong.

Do you really want to tell me that we no longer have any sense of law and order and that it is so much more important for some drivers to reach their destination that they have absolutely no consideration for others??

Repaving the ABC highway

An advertisement is being carried in the local newspapers that advises motorists that the section of the ABC highway from the airport to the Graeme Hall roundabout will be repaved with "overseas aggregate". 

One wonders if this repaving includes the section from the junction of the highway and Ballantyne to the junction with Deighton Griffith school since this was repaved recently and has not even been fully marked as yet.

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