New speed limits, other rules for trucks driving through East Coast villages – Jagdeo

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday announced new rules for truck drivers traversing roads inside East Coast Demerara villages.

Trucks driving through these villages will be required to drive at a slower speed, and Jagdeo noted that new speed limit signs will be mounted soon. Additionally, drivers are mandated to ensure that the tailgates of trucks are closed at all times. The cargo carried inside trucks must also be covered so that no dust will affect residents.

Some residents, Jagdeo related, also requested speed bumps in their communities.

Jagdeo said the move to develop these solutions comes after residents complained of truck operations in their communities.

The Vice President acknowledged the increase in these operations along the East Coast of Demerara as new infrastructure for housing and power distribution projects is being developed in the backlands. In the housing sector, for example, about 18,700 house lots were allocated along the East Coast, but much-needed infrastructure work is still needed about about 15,900 of those lots.

“You can imagine the amount of sand, loam and materials that has to go through the established East Coast villages to get to these projects and this is creating problems for some established villages,” he said.

So the Vice President reasoned that these solutions are necessary. And contractors, who employ truck drivers to transport their cargo, were engaged on Wednesday.

“We can’t stop the development work, but at least we can alleviate some of the concerns of the residents,” Jagdeo said.