Mystical Highway Developments....

So this is an update on the piece that I wrote on the assumed illegal two pedestrian stops on either side of the Audrey Jeffers (is it still called Audrey Jeffers?) Highway facilitating the traveling or automotively challenged patrons of Movie Towne which also followed the video that I made that was aired on two of our news programs as 'viewer reports.'

The reason for the update is that the Management of Movie Towne has since taken umbrage with the fact that I have decided to question this development as I sincerely believe that adding pedestrians to a busy three lane dual carriageway highway is a prescription for death and dismemberment, and I am also of the view that if these developments are not illegal according to our road safety or highway code then it ought to be for obvious reasons.

Now digress for a bit and chew on the fact that the Management of the enterprise took time to contact at least one of the newspapers that carried my story to protest my piece and went as far as to distance themselves from a questionable development that benefits them alone, and from which the Mayor of Port of Spain has also already distanced himself, referring to it (to me personally) as a 'phantom' project which I did not understand at the time but of which I am getting a better idea now.


If no one owns this development, who built it, and why?
If Movie Towne did not build it then someone with State authority authorized this construction and we need to find out who exactly, and we need to find out if State funds were used and if so, why.

If someone can prove to me that this construction, these passenger stops that encourages pedestrians to cross six lanes of busy highway do not contravene some law or code or basic common sense I will be amazed but will have no choice but to drop it.

Until then I am calling on the Minister of Works and Transport to tell us if this is a Ministry of Works sanctioned project, and I am also calling on the Transport Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police to state whether it is in fact legal for pedestrians to cross and for passenger vehicles to stop on the highway for the specific purpose of dropping off and picking up passengers.

And if it is not illegal, why do we insist on lay-bys for entrance and exit intersections for off-highway construction?

What would be their purpose?

And consider this, should the very worst occur and someone is seriously injured or killed crossing this highway or trying to avoid hitting someone crossing the highway, who would be liable?

It is time we in this country pull back from this 'anything goes' mentality; it shouldn't, and if we are going to claim to be a country ruled by law then we should demand that those laws be obeyed by all, especially by those who are in a position to know better.