Scores of residents of Victoria, East Coast Demerara, along with taxi drivers, took to the streets Wednesday morning, protesting the deplorable state of their main access road, which they claim has not been fixed for the past 23 years.
The protesters are calling on the Government to refurbish the road which they claimed is not only causing major damages to their vehicles but also injuries to cyclists.
Hilda Barnwell, a resident of Victoria told News Room that “because of these bad roads, I fell with my cycle and damage the ligament on my left knee. I have to be using Voltaren tablets daily, if not, I am unable to walk properly.”’
A taxi driver on the other hand stated that a significant sum of money has to be invested in purchasing car parts since the road damages the vehicles. Damion Asana said “yuh finding we getting bend tires…we gah buy wear and tear. It ain’t profitable working the road in this condition.”
Asana also stated that while the taxi drivers attempt to fill the holes from time to time, this only last for a short period before it is washed away by the rain.
Another driver, Sheldon Charles said it takes some 30 minutes for him to drop passengers at the end of the road.
Following the protest, officials from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure visited the residents and promised to look into the matter by Friday.
