Couva North MP, Ravi Ratiram, is demanding that the Government “finally addresses its shameful neglect of the highway’s cable barriers” following the death of 38-year-old Azizah Mohammed of Maingot Trace, Freeport.
In a release today, Ratiram said: “This latest tragedy on the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway, resulting from a fatal crossover collision on April 8th 2024, is a direct consequence of governmental negligence.”
Ratiram said that in October 2022, he issued a stern press release and spoke vehemently at the Standing Finance Committee regarding the critical state of our highway safety measures, specifically the deteriorating cable barriers that had already claimed lives.
Despite these explicit warnings and the allocation of $2 million for road safety initiatives in 2022 and in 2024 a $5 Million dollar allocation, the government has been alarmingly inactive, he said.
“This failure to act has not only compromised the safety of our roadways but has directly led to the unnecessary loss of additional lives, including the tragic death of Azizah Mohammed just days ago. This ongoing neglect underscores a grave systemic failure that demands immediate rectification to prevent further loss of life.”
According to the MP: “This is not just negligence; it is an active refusal to use allocated resources to save lives. The continuous fatalities on our highways are a direct result of this disregard. Each day without action expands the list of those fatally harmed by this government’s blunder and disregard.”
MP Ratiram demands not only immediate repairs but also a comprehensive review and restructuring of the entire maintenance process for highway safety infrastructure.
“If the current Government is unable to protect their citizens, they are complicit in these preventable tragedies
The citizens of Trinidad and Tobago deserve to travel their roads without fear that their lives are being gambled away by their own government. The time for excuses has passed; we need visible, decisive action now. Stop the carnage. Repair the barriers. Save lives.”