The Parliamentary Committee of Supply Wednesday night approved $73.2 billion, budgeted in 2024 to continue the government’s programme of constructing, rehabilitating and maintaining community roads.
This is in addition to $204.1 billion that was approved to upgrade and expand the country’s roads and bridges network.
And while the allocations were largely supported by the opposition with limited scrutiny, a major exchange on the maintenance of those roads ensued.
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and Opposition MPs Annette Ferguson and Amanza Walton-Desir all agreed that there was the need for weight limit regulations for vehicles traversing the roadways.
Edghill said those regulations are being drafted and will be brought to the National Assembly for approval soon.
“We are anxious to have them in our hands so they will be in place soon,” Edghill said.
But beyond that, he said there needed to be a culture change that would see voluntary compliance with already established weight limits.
He called on MPs to “lend support collectively [to ensure that] people start pulling themselves up.
“There is a shaming campaign and some people don’t have no shame.
“I believe in strong and structured legislation but we have to be able to get society to collectively cry out against it… people must not allow it if they see it bring it to our attention,” Edghill added.
The Minister said it is an established fact that large trucks are often overloaded and speeding on highways or going into communities has done more harm than good.
“The roads come under stress.
“We have to address the issue of trucks going into communities… because a man wants to visit his wife… trucks with 60 tonnes going into communities and breaking [road] shoulders.
“Commercial traffic will be in Guyana but there are roads to take the tonnage and we must use smaller vehicles in communities
“We can’t break a front road while we are building a back road… we have to come together as a country and say this nonsense must stop,” Edghill added.
The Minister said there is also the issue of malicious damage to roadways, mostly during protests and then there is the issue of officers who are to impose weight restrictions, take bribes and allow overloaded trucks to pass.
Are there special roads for heavily loaded trucks to use ? These must be constructed to cater them.
However, ALL roads under construction must be built to cater for ALL VEHICLES regardless.
If this is done correctly by the contractors, then repairs will be minimal in the long run….not 3 months after completion.