12/17/2008 10:38:00 AM 'Don't wait for someone to die' Fresh appeal for more action to tackle road hazard
Tight squeeze: Residents of Flatts Village George Colesworthy and Tom Mahoney. *Photo by Sirkka Huish
Panoramic view: Tom Mahoney and George Colesworthy are among the residents of Flatts Village who have “horror stories” about the accidents they have witnessed.
Residents say it's only a matter of time before someone is killed as motorists recklessly speed through Flatts Village at speeds of up to 70kph.
"Out of control" vehicles - from bikes to trucks - are said to be putting lives in danger on a daily basis as they use the section of North Shore Road as a racetrack.
With at least one accident a week, the stretch of road from the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo to Indigo restaurant is known locally as the 'Flatts Speedway.'
More than 300 residents and business owners now fear they are "fighting a losing battle" after an eight-month campaign to slow down the traffic.
They say "little has been done" despite the police, Bermuda Road Safety Council and Works and Engineering agreeing that traffic-calming measures were needed.
In fact residents believe that the recent re-paving of the narrow and bendy road has simply "made the vehicles go even faster."
George (Gib) Colesworthy says he has "seen it all" with a bird's eye view of the village from his balcony at St. James Court.
He said: "Drivers just don't seem to care what speed they are hurtling along at. They go like crazy, it's a joke.
"There is nothing to make them cut down on their speed so it's just like we are all waiting for someone to get killed.
"It's totally dangerous, I see accidents all the time, at least once a week, but many of them go unreported."
He added: "It's a narrow and congested area, but they can't push the roads back, people have to learn to live with the strip of road and drive accordingly.
"But no-one is doing anything about it, so someone really is going to get killed, it's just a question of when."
Mr. Colesworthy, who has lived in Flatts for 17 years, has been leading the residents' campaign since the beginning of the year. He spoke out at a public meeting organized by Bermuda Road Safety Council and sent about 300 signatures from local residents and business owners to Premier and Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown and Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess, to encourage the government "to take action."
After a site meeting between concerned parties, Bermuda Road Safety Council recommended three solutions; sets of ripple bumps west of Lazy Corner, near the Gift Shop and just before Rustico's; signs indicating a decreased speed limit in the village and traffic lights for pedestrians outside Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo.
A copy of these recommendations was sent to Randy Rochester at T.C.D. in early June - but eight months later only the pedestrian lights have been added.
Mr. Colesworthy said: "I just thought enough's enough; people were behind me 100 per cent - everyone is in agreement that something needs to be done.
"We live here and know what it's like, but there are some things that are real easy to do to slow down the traffic. It's simple stuff.
"But all we have is the lights and we've only just got them. They only slow people down if pedestrians press the button to cross the road."
He added: "It seems like there's been a lot of talking and very little action."
Most residents have their own "horror stories" made worse by the limited parking, blind curves and closeness of buildings to the road.
Mr. Colesworthy says the corner of one house next to the gas station has "been hit so many times" that the owner put a huge metal pole up to try to protect his property.
Mr. Colesworthy added: "I'm not sure if anything will ever get done, but the residents will keep on fighting."
David Minors, acting road safety officer at Bermuda Road Safety Council, helped to come up with the recommendations for the "problem area." He said they would have "an immediate impact felt throughout the island" and "send a clear message to the public that we are serious about traffic and road safety."
Mr. Minors said: "These are the recommendations we thought were best suited to the area. Speed is the major issue.
"What Government has been able to do so far has been beneficial, but if they can go further it will be a very good asset to the people of Bermuda and the residents of Flatts Village."
Inspector Mark Bothello of the road traffic division caught about 100 motorists speeding through the village in just an hour - as he sat on Mr. Colesworthy's balcony.
He said: "There's a problem with speed in Flatts, it's particularly noticeable as it's such a small area.
"We have recommended the traffic calming for that particular area. Drivers are speeding in that area, their speeds are in the 60s, easily."
It is believed that the person at Works and Engineering who was dealing with the Flatts Village recommendations has left the island, so a changeover in staff may have added to the delay.
No-one from Works and Engineering was willing to comment.
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, December 19, 2008
Comment by:
STUART R. NADELSON
Surely, excess speed contributes to accidents and deaths. Bermuda has the additional problem in that roads are just wide enough for vehicles and don't provide sidewalks for pedestrians. This design was fine when horses traversed the roads, but current roadways were not designed to have tractor-trailers use them, without putting pedestrians in jeopardy.
It's a shame that nothing can be done to provide pedestrian sidewalks, therefore... the only solution is to ensure that motorists drive reasonably taking into consideration road and traffic conditions.
George...it was nice to meet you some time ago when you published some of my photos in Bermuda Moods. Regards.
