I am so sad over the news about the mother and daughter in yesterday’s rental bike wreck. Given the current speed and traffic on our roads, Bermuda needs to reassess the wisdom of allowing bike rentals to continue.
And Bermuda needs to get a grip on our roads.
- We have made a painful mistake in allowing larger vehicles on our roads - one that is still being made with even larger trucks being added every month. The battalions of SUVs can barely fit on some roads - making them totally unsafe for pedestrians given Bermuda’s insufficient sidewalks. Even locals think twice about riding bikes now - leading a vicious cycle of growth in car use. It’s time to pull back on vehicle size.
- We need a mass transportation strategy. It’s true that there have been good improvements to the buses and ferries - but they still do not work well as a system that meets the needs of users. Even a casual observer will note the impact of school dropoffs on traffic; a priority should be the development of school carpool or bus programmes, particularly for the schools located in Hamilton.
- We need to police the roads properly. It is a truism that, if there is no consequence, then behaviour declines. Government is investing millions in policing the registration of vehicles - but hardly any on policing the operation of vehicles. They are protecting their revenue before protecting the public on the roads. Even the police admit that they are over-extended just dealing with accidents; they don’t have the budget or manpower to actively police the roads.
- Our speed limit is an unenforced joke; we need to select a more reasonable level and enforce it rigidly with real police. The “self-service speed indicators” at East Broadway, Death Valley, and Whitney serve no real purpose - they certainly provide no disincentive - they just add to the urban clutter.
- We need to improve road use. The new “points” system is a good start - although there still has been very little effort to communicate how the system works to the public. Points info should be shared with insurers. I also support the “graduated licensing” that has been proposed for new licenses.
The PLP have also been hinting that “something interesting was coming in the transport area.” We’ll see what that brings.