Road safety must be more than just putting down concrete!

The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize News.

By Joe Awe: (Please note: I am no civil engineer. I am just a concerned citizen looking out for the better for the twin towns. I am not even interested in any mischief. I am willing to be corrected)

Let me start by saying something clearly: our children must be protected. Our pedestrians must be protected. And drivers must slow down.

There should be no argument about that.

But good road safety is not simply about installing a speed bump wherever there is a concern. Good road safety requires us to look at the entire road system: vehicles, pedestrians, intersections, emergency services and human behavior, and then make decisions based on proper traffic engineering.

That is why serious questions should be asked about the recently installed speed bump on Bullet Tree Road, reportedly about 300 yards from the four-way traffic lights at Joseph Andrews Drive.

This is a busy two-way roadway connected to a major signalized intersection. Vehicles turn from Joseph Andrews Drive onto Bullet Tree Road while other vehicles are approaching the intersection in the opposite direction. Any traffic-calming device placed along such a corridor should therefore be evaluated not only for the speed it reduces, but also for its effect on traffic flow, turning movements, sudden braking, vehicle queues and emergency access.

International traffic administration guidance itself treats speed humps as a traffic-engineering measure, not a one-size-fits-all solution. Their placement should consider the type of road, traffic volume, speed, intersection proximity and the role that road plays in the wider transportation network.

And there is another issue we cannot ignore: The San Ignacio Hospital is located down Bullet Tree Road. That changes the conversation.

Ambulances and other emergency vehicles may need to travel this corridor while transporting patients or responding to emergencies (and there are 5 speed bumps before the ambulance would get to this new one!). Research has documented that vertical traffic-calming devices can delay emergency vehicles, which is precisely why transportation guidance recommends special consideration for emergency routes and, where vertical traffic calming is necessary, alternatives such as speed cushions designed to allow larger emergency vehicles to pass with less disruption. – but there is no space for this engineering on this particular street.

So the question is not: “Do we care about children?” Of course we do. The real question is: Was this the safest solution available?

Because perhaps the bigger problem is standing only a few hundred yards away.

At the intersection of Joseph Andrews Drive and Bullet Tree Road, we already have a four-way traffic-light system and designated pedestrian-crossing infrastructure. That intersection should be one of the safest places for pedestrians, including schoolchildren, to cross.

But infrastructure alone does not educate people.

Do our children know exactly when to cross? Do pedestrians understand the pedestrian signals? Do motorists understand their responsibility when making left and right turns while pedestrians are crossing? Are the crossings clearly marked and visible? Is the timing adequate for children, older persons and slower pedestrians? Are we actively teaching people how to use that intersection safely? These questions matter.

International road safety guidance says pedestrian signals at signalized crossings are specifically intended to tell pedestrians when it is appropriate to cross, while proper signal timing must give people enough time to complete that crossing safely. Road-safety programs for children also combine engineering with education, supervision and other safety measures.

There is also a very real danger at intersections that we sometimes overlook: turning vehicles and pedestrians occupy the same space. Important pedestrian-safety materials specifically warn that drivers making left or right turns may fail to look for pedestrians. Modern signal strategies can even give pedestrians a head start before turning vehicles move, reducing conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles making left or right turns.

That is where our attention must also be focused.

A speed bump may slow a vehicle. Education changes behavior. A properly designed pedestrian system protects people at the precise location where they need to cross. Enforcement changes dangerous driving habits.

Good engineering anticipates what happens when an ambulance is rushing a patient to hospital, when two vehicles meet on a busy road, when a driver makes a right turn, and when a child steps into a crossing believing it is safe.

So perhaps it is time for the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council to publicly explain the engineering reasoning behind this speed bump.

Was a traffic study conducted? Were ambulance and emergency-response movements considered? Was the hospital consulted? Were traffic volumes and vehicle queues studied? Were the turning movements from Joseph Andrews Drive assessed?

Were alternatives such as a raised pedestrian crossing, better markings, improved lighting or stronger enforcement considered?

And, critically, what sustained program is in place to teach our children and the wider public how to properly use the pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights?

These are not political questions. These are public-safety questions.

We should never have to choose between protecting a schoolchild and getting a patient to hospital quickly. A properly designed road-safety system should protect both.

Let us slow down where we need to slow down. Let us protect our children with everything we have. But let us also demand that every traffic-calming decision be based on sound engineering, public education, emergency access and the realities of how people actually use our roads.

Because sometimes the easiest thing to do is to build a speed bump. The harder, and more responsible thing is to build a complete culture of road safety.

And that is the conversation our Twin Towns need to have.

Touch lives. Change the world.

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