The Ministry of Works and Transport will crackdown on heavy trucks using unauthorised roads. This announcement was made by Works and Transport Minister Senator Rohan Sinanan when he spoke with Guardian Media on Saturday night following a cultural show for delegates of a three-day Hindi Conference at the NCIC Nagar, Chaguanas.
Sinanan said that even though many roads have signs about the weight limitations for vehicles, drivers simply ignore the signs and proceed on these roadways causing damage to the infrastructure.
Sinanan said, “There is an existing law, any existing heavy vehicle has to be licenced and you have to go to the transport board and they give you specific routes to travel on. Unfortunately a lot of these restricted vehicles try to take short cuts and so on and they go on roads that are not designed. It’s a matter of enforcement, the law exists and it’s a matter of enforcement which we will be stepping up upon.”
Sinanan said his ministry is putting systems in place to have weight-restricted routes policed by Traffic Wardens and law enforcement authorities.
“It’s unfair that these heavy trucks will go in and damage the roads and in some cases the same truck owners are the ones we have to pay to rebuild the road,” he said.
Sinanan said a height barrier had to be placed over the Perseverance Road River Bridge to prevent heavy vehicles from crossing. He said on the day the bridge was opened drivers of heavy trucks simply ignored the warning signs and drove across the structure.
Sinanan said this bridge was constructed several decades ago and cannot handle the excessive weight. He said it was repaired in time for the opening of the school term. He said the final paving of the abutment of the Bridal Road Bridge would take place after WASA completes works later this week.
