Why is it that the NRA hardly ever notifies the driving public BEFORE making changes along our roads? Recent examples are the THREE pedestrian crossings around the junction of Mary Street and North Church Street, pedestrian crossings on Walkers Road and South Sound road, lane restrictions by the CNB roundabout. The NRA appears to have zero consideration for the driving public who are left to contend with such changes, which appear overnight, usually on a Monday morning in rush hour. This ignorant treatment is not new but I had really hoped they would improve with time.
How hard is it to formulate a press release with any needed diagrams at least a week in advance of such changes?
Auntie’s answer: I agree that certain surprises are not welcome, especially when one is driving. In that instance, advance warning of roadworks and/or diversions would be ideal, not to mention very helpful, in preventing any confusion which could lead to an accident.
I shared your complaint with the National Roads Authority and an official did confirm that in the case of the pedestrian crossings that you mentioned in your question, no official public announcements were made ahead of the changes. However, in response to that criticism, the official said the authority would consider your suggestion to inform the public before a new crossing is installed as it did with a press release that was published ahead of the planned changes by the CNB roundabout, which you can read about here.
The official also stressed that safety for road users is the priority for the NRA and while sometimes the authority has to make quick decisions to ensure the roads are kept safe, it aims to keep the public informed of changes and/or closures through updates on the Facebook pages of both the NRA and Ministry of Planning.
In addition to press releases the NRA circulates, the authority is planning to produce public service announcements to keep everyone informed as the CNB roundabout pedestrian crossing project moves along.
The more information and advanced warning the better, so let’s see if, moving forward, the NRA can achieve the reader’s hoped-for improvements in getting the word out ahead of road works.
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If safety for road users is a priority, it’s a shame that doesn’t appear to apply to the recent roadworks on West Bay Road near the Royal Palms tunnel, where apparently it’s absolutely fine to dig trenches in the middle of the carriageway and then leave them for weeks before finally getting round to doing a partial patch up job so poor and uneven that it will be lucky to last until July. The current trend for leaving roadworks obviously and dangerously incomplete is hard to understand, other than as incompetence.
Everything falls through the cracks at NRA.
Excuses, excuses, excuses
The three crossings outside Casanova, The Cabana and on Mary Street baffle me!! Why do we need three next to each other. The one on Mary Street is not really needed but I understand for safety reasons why it is there but why three so close together? Surely the person at Casanova or Cabana can walk to one of the crossings and two aren’t needed. There is also another crossing just a few yards up near Dairy Queen so pedestrians can use that as well. The whole set up is hazardous to drivers and pedestrians too.
The public needs to accept that the NRA, as with ALL government agencies, is made up exclusively of civil (?) servants. As such they get paid exactly the same whether they are helpful or hurtful to the public.
No, they are NOT civil servants but don’t let your abject ignorance stop you in your nasty commenting.