Act now on Spring Garden

I WRITE with grave concern over yet another pedestrian life lost on Spring Garden Highway.

Can we be such a callous people that we ignore the repeated loss of life on this stretch of highway without national outcry?

This problem can be traced back to the conceptualisation of the highway project where the consensus should have been informed by environmental and social impact assessments.

I will bypass the environmental impact on the wetland environment for now and focus on the social impact.

Brandons Beach has long been an integral part of the community along the stretch of highway.

This community values the beauty and serenity of the beach environment and it is a great tradition for families.

The project should have been able to predict that, inspite of the dangers associated with crossing the highway, the community could and would not be separated from the heritage it so valued.

This has been observed daily as we see many senior citizens, who have made valuable contributions to our island nation, taking risks on the highway for one last bath.

Unfortunately, in too many cases that has proven to be literal. Case in point, Errol Briggs, a model citizen at home, and in his chosen adopted homeland, Canada.

He came home on holiday, longing for that pleasure of relaxing and exploring HIS beach.

I am making an impassioned plea to the relevant agencies, whether governmental or elements of the social partnership, to come together and mitigate this serious negative impact of the Spring Garden Highway.

There is ample evidence of lives lost to inform the decision makers.

A number of suggestions have been put forward, but the one chosen must protect the community from exposure to the speeding traffic and potential tragedy.

This must be addressed with great haste. Already there have been too many lives lost, unnecessarily.

SONIA PETER