Eye-openers

Two major vehicular accidents last week once again brought to light many safety issues hounding the transportation sector.

The accident at the SRP Subway resulted to one death while the truck that lost it brakes and fell on its side in Barili left 10 people dead and several injured.

The accident at the Subway led many to comment on the lack of signs and other devices to ensure the safety of the users of the tunnel.

The one in Barili proved the danger of carrying passengers in a vehicle designed for other purposes.

After all the talk from the politicians and the so-called experts, the question now is what’s next?

What will be done to avoid a similar accident in the Subway? Would it be possible to stop local governments and other people from using dumptrucks to carry people from once place to another?

As usual, we waited for accidents to happen to take action. Saying something is action, right? But the authorities need to do something really concrete to make good on their statements.

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Here’s an email sent by a reader about the incident at the Subway and other incidents at the South Road Properties.

He asked to remain anonymous:

Vehicles plying the SRP are driven like hell by drivers who think they are Michael Schumacer or Alonzo. We have witnessed a lot of accidents along SRP with one fatal accident that took the life of a friend several years back.

Melvin Buenafe’s observation about traffic signs is well taken, but is also seen ineffective because most drivers do not know or intentionally disregard traffic signs and road courtesy. Just observe the intersection of SRP Road and SRP-Mambaling

Road where vehicles from the south most always cut corner when turning left from SRP Road to SRP-Mambaling Road and again several accidents had also happened on this intersection - the reason is that the center island along SRP Road ends several meters (maybe 100 or more?) from the intersection and these vehicles turning left would always try to beat the oncoming traffic to turn left.

Maybe Jack (Jakosalem) may need to look into this also and place a barrier so to control & stop these vehicles from cutting corner and avoid accidents.

Going back to Buenafe’s observation, a Stop Sign Board is placed in the merging intersection of Jakosalem and the ramp towards the viaduct of SRP Road, but again here is our own observation, the Stop Sign Board signifies to the merging vehicle to make a full stop before they continue to drive and merge with the main road traffic, but even government plate vehicles to include on several occasions, a CITOM vehicle, a SRP Police vehicle, a City Hall service vehicle, a Provincial government vehicle ignores the sign and just whizz straight to merge unmindful of the Stop Sign Board.

Truck drivers, taxi drivers and private vehicle drivers upon seeing would surely follow the violation thinking that it is okay because even CITOM and Police ignores the signs.

So if City Hall and Jack Jakosalem dreams of a Road Safe SRP, they must seriously think of ways to really discipline these drivers. And designate the middle lane of each direction as the Truck Lane so that these trucks will not be zigzagging in and out of their lanes similar to highways we see abroad. Also a CITOM team must be assigned to SRP to apprehend drivers exceeding the 60 KPH maximum speed limit for SRP.

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For your comments, complaints and suggestions please feel free to contact us at 2531276 or 2538613 local 237.

You can also visit and post at the Motorists’ Corner page on www.facebook.com or send email to [email protected].