A few weekends ago, there was another serious accident on South Church Street in the South Bend Villas area. There have been many accidents in this area including at least two fatalities.
In my opinion, most of these accidents are a result of speeding.
In the mornings, from 7-9am, traffic into George Town is heavy and cars are not speeding, but drivers going out of George Town seem to think that is a highway and many are travelling at speeds well in excess of the 30-mile-an-hour speed limit. Many are also on their phones or drinking tea or coffee.
The same happens from 4-6pm in the afternoon but in the opposite direction. There are many joggers and walkers in the area at these times. I walk my dog in the mornings and have had many near misses and often have to jump to the side to avoid being hit by speeding careless drivers.
I believe that it is only a matter of time before a pedestrian is killed or badly injured by speeding cars in the area.
This is a residential area and whilst it has a speed limit of 30mph, this is rarely adhered to, principally because most drivers know that in this area there are no consequences for driving over the speed limit. I have lived in the area for over 30 years and have rarely seen any police cars checking for people driving over the speed limit.
Whilst I would like to see speed bumps/sleeping policemen in the area, I understand that this is impractical because the road has become an important thoroughfare, but because it is so busy it must justify more observance by the traffic police. I am sure that speed cameras would more than pay their way. However, as these seem to be ignored in the Cayman Islands, I am requesting that the traffic police take a much more rigorous approach to speeding in the area.
Fines for speeding would act as a considerable deterrent to these speeding drivers, and make the roads much safer for walkers and cyclists.
I also note that building developments in the area often have numerous cars and trucks parked on the roadside and pavement, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road which is even more dangerous. Surely this is not allowed and should be reviewed by the traffic department.
Peter D. Anderson
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