The Government has commenced works for a Road Safety Diagnostic and Action Plan (2022-2026). The Public Works Ministry is seeking a consultant to commence the design of a Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) which is aimed at reducing the number of road traffic deaths.
The initiative is part of the Adequate Housing and Urban Transport Programme (AHUTP) which is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
An Expression of Interest (EoI) in the daily newspapers said the consultant will be tasked with preparing studies for the implementation of the programme.
More specially, the EoI outlines that the studies will diagnose and analyse the overall situation, identify key risks, opportunities, and entry points for improvements.
According to the EoI, the studies will also be used to prepare an action plan of activities and investments to be financed and implemented in order to reduce the number of road fatalities overtime.
The consultant is required to have experience in road traffic safety analysis, particularly relating to engineering, enforcement, and investigation, conducting legal services, reviews, and comparative law analysis.
This includes identifying legislative and institutional deficiencies and recommending appropriate measures for improvement. The consultant must be experienced in public law and governance and know international standards in relation to road safety and traffic management.
Experience in legal drafting in Guyana would be a distinct advantage, the EoI states. Moreover, the consultant will be responsible for communication studies regarding road use practices, with particular emphasis on analysing current levels of awareness, identifying deficiencies in existing strategies, and crafting behavioural change strategies and messages for all categories of road users.
Six months is the estimated period for the consultancy. The consultant(s) will be selected in accordance with the quality and cost-based selection (QCBS) procedures set out in the IDB’s Policies for the Selection and Contracting of Consultants. The EoI states that consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications.
At the launching of road safety month in October, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had called on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to advance its routine interventions to change the lawless culture of road users.
Between January to June of this year, 48 persons were killed in road accidents with pedestrians and motorcyclists accounting for the majority of those who lost their lives. Speeding and inattentiveness continue to be the main cause of accidents, according to the Police Force.
While statistics for 2021 show a 31 per cent decrease in fatal accidents, Benn said that an aggressive approach together with stiffer penalties could further reduce this number. He said the Government is putting in more tools and training for road use and improving roads.
The Home Affairs Minister called on the GPF to accelerate its wheel-clamping exercise for drivers who act outside of the law. He also urged law enforcement officers to regularly practise the different types of field sobriety tests.
Benn revealed that more measures are being implemented to significantly boost the safe city project, with the installation of additional road cameras with upgraded features. Since assuming office last year August, the Government has been distributing safety helmets to motorcyclists to stop the culture or persons driving without safety gear.
Meanwhile, the Government is undertaking massive infrastructural upgrades to the country’s roadways. These include the Sherriff Street – Mandela Avenue road expansion project and the Mandela Avenue to Eccles bypass road. Once completed, the latter will ease the growing traffic congestion on the East Bank Demerara highway. The Government has also embarked on several other road upgrades/expansion projects to improve connectivity.
In October, the World Health Organisation (WHO) kicked off its Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
The WHO and the UN regional commissions, in cooperation with other partners in the UN Road Safety Collaboration, have developed a Global Plan for the Decade of Action.
According to WHO, globally, over 3500 people die every day on the roads, which amounts to nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries each year – making it the leading killer of children and young people worldwide.
As things stand, WHO noted that road traffic accidents are set to cause a further estimated 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries during the next decade, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
“These unacceptable numbers, both in absolute and relative terms. Road traffic crashes have remained a major cause of death globally, even though every one of those deaths and injuries is preventable,” the WHO said.
“The loss of lives and livelihoods, the disabilities caused, the grief and pain, and the financial costs caused by road traffic crashes add up to an intolerable toll on families, communities, societies, and health systems,” said WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added, “So much of this suffering is preventable, by making roads and vehicles safer, and by promoting safe walking, cycling, and greater use of public transport. The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety lays out the practical, evidence-based steps all countries and communities can take to save lives”.
