Residents rage over speeding

Chief Inspectors Adrian Seales and Courtney Myles,
Commissioner of Police, Stuart Kernohan, Deputy
Commissioner Anthony Ennis, and DTF Shaun Ebanks
in East End.

Thursday,  December 8, 2005

It is now clear to police here residents on Grand Cayman consider speeding a serious crime that must be stopped.

At every district community meeting hosted by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) over the past few weeks, speeding on the roads consumed much of the time and, one resident even had to stop to choke back tears about the matter.

Describing the racing in front of his house and the fact that his children have to walk there to and from school, he was overcome with emotion at the thought of them being struck by a motor vehicle.

The seriousness of the speeding issue was underscored when, at the North Side meeting, residents began making contributions as to how the country could meet the cost of remote technology speed and red light cameras.

 “I have seen where these cameras work in other jurisdictions. Insurance companies should buy in to such a programme. They would benefit because accident rates and claims would go down,” one resident said.

Residents in North Side showed their unwillingness to condone errant behaviour on the road any longer when Police Commissioner, Stuart Kernohan, stepped in on the issue of tourists who speed and drive on the wrong side of the road.

While Mr Kernohan asked for some amount of tolerance with tourists, one resident said, “Tourists are just as capable of killing someone on the road. They know the laws. They should be given tickets even though the next day they may be on a plane.”

At the previous RCIPS North Side meeting some four months ago, North Side Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Edna Moyle, had asked about speed bumps for the district. When she heard that the Public Works Department (PWD) was not able to give a time on the speed bumps but was aware of the concerns and had a backlog to deal with, Ms Moyle said, “If we are purchasing these outputs from the PWD then they have to come through.”

In East End Mr Kernohan told residents that the RCIPS can only do so much.

“Unless speeding becomes a part of what is anti-social in a community, then we will not see a change,” he said.

“Start with family and friends to create a culture that this is unacceptable behaviour.”

Residents were dealt another dose of reality on the matter when they asked for speeding control in the early morning traffic and RCIPS officers said  they aim to have officers out every single morning but can’t.”

Residents also wanted to slam the brakes on speeding truck drivers.

Deputy Commissioner, Anthony Ennis, speaking at the East End meeting, agreed when he said that one day there would be a serious accident.

Residents were concerned too that trucks are now legally allowed go faster than in the past.

The RCIPS officers promised to investigate reducing the maximum speed limit for trucks.

Mr Kernohan was unhesitating about calling on his officers to set an example on the issue when one resident said that if the public is expected to slow down Police Officers should not be seen putting on their sirens just to get through traffic to do their personal chores.

The Commissioner said: “You are right Sir! Police must set the example for the community.”

The RCIPS did report some success. In North Side they told residents that as of 5 December 50 mph repeater signs would be in place and officers had cited 222 traffic offences between January and November 2005.

The complexity of the speeding issue was brought to the fore during discussions in West Bay where residents called for speed bumps but Mr Kernohan noted they come with a price and that price is the slowing of traffic. “What is needed is a proper engineering analysis to see what is the best thing to do,” he said.

In West Bay, residents were frustrated about morning traffic woes, drivers breaking traffic lines from West Bay into town, cutting into Governor’s Harbour and coming out at Safehaven.

Residents wondered why there were never any police around.

“I have been hearing this for the lasts ten or fifteen years,” said one resident. “You would think that the West Bay Police Station is in Grenada. Why not just have an officer on Monday and Wednesday, or any two days. That way, the word will spread,” that officers are there to prosecute.

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