I’m not writing this to be pedantic, but to highlight two issues that can lead to fatal accidents, God forbid.
Since the heavy rains in the north of the country last November, cars have been floating on the streets of Corinth and elsewhere as if they were rivers of no return and we must thank the Most High that we have not seen death happen. However, many people lost parts of their livelihoods, such as the farmer who lost all his cows in a shed behind Dame Pearlette School. Without a doubt, I sympathize with the family and hope that power will compensate that farmer.
My real concern, though, is the avalanche of vehicles that seem to congregate at the school gates in the morning and afternoon during school hours. There is no doubt that it is a sight to behold, and there is no doubt that it is not only a nuisance, but downright dangerous, especially since there are children crossing.
These incidents occurred because the main gates of the school were only accessible to staff and sometimes parents. However it annoys me that Dame Pearlette school was so badly flooded and wreaked havoc during the bad weather that the school was closed for a week to clean up the mess left in the classrooms, not to mention downstairs, that kind of situation It is understandable.
However, what exhausts me is that I don’t understand why the collapsed school fence hasn’t been repaired yet. In my humble opinion, anyone can enter a school during the day and it puts our children’s lives at risk.
Many of us talk about crime but fail to take preventive steps to protect our children. I say this with a heavy heart. Adding to the dismay, the extra lanes into the school became possible as new roundabouts were built. However, that is now pie in the sky.
Now what we see at that entrance of the school, even though the fence is up, there is a part of the parking area that is blocked for the staff, and this is the narrow part at the back, which is dedicated to parents driving, parking and reversing.
It’s just ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense at all, and anyone with an ounce of common sense will realize the folly of such a decision. Common sense I was told was not common, pardon the pun.
In terms of fencing, LUCELEC’s fencing had collapsed, having been damaged by heavy rains, and the fencing has since been repaired. Therefore, I conclude in good faith that, in the opinion of the Ministry of Schools and Education, the restoration of the fence should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Infrastructure.But if that’s what I think then I have to tell them it’s the responsibility of the Ministry of Education
Aside from individuals being able to enter schools at will, my main concern is that traffic congestion is unacceptable, causing drivers to make U-turns at school gates.
Again, let me point out that I’m not here as a doom and gloom prophet, but rather to state the facts and hopefully bring some urgency to this utterly dangerous and unacceptable situation. What are the authorities waiting for? Is it the death and destruction at the gates of the school?
For those who don’t know, we’ve seen some horrific accidents on this road over the past six months. I’m not exaggerating, people who live in the area can attest to it.
Another big issue I have is the traffic at the entrance to the port of Castries near Faux-a-Chaux. The morning and afternoon roads appear to be packed with trucks waiting to enter the port. On one side of that narrow road, one after another, waiting trucks were parked outside. This only started sometime before Christmas, so no reason was given or how long it would last.
The area needs police to make sure trucks don’t stop there. This cannot continue. Not only that, however, there is a pedestrian crossing near the port entrance. There is no doubt that sooner or later we will witness a fatal accident there.
Almost every corner of this country seems to be indifferent, breaking rules and regulations at will, because many idiots in our society will loudly tell you that their government is now in power.
So they pass their ignorance and flagrant traffic violations on to the government. However, when disciplinary action is taken, they are quick to tell you that the government is not interested in this little guy trying to make a living.
I have made it very clear in this article that we must abide by the rule of law, not the law of the rich or the law of the poor. This is basically the law of the land that must be followed. So let’s be good citizens.
