Speed limit and the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act

MVRTA Section 3. (2) states: “The [Trinidad Transport] Board shall act in an advisory capacity and shall advise the President on all matters appertaining to road traffic and in particular as to the following matters: (a) licence duties in respect of motor and other vehicles; (b) Customs and Excise duties in respect of transport vehicles and fuel therefor; (c) the needs of areas as a whole in relation to traffic (including the provision of adequate suitable and efficient services and the elimination of unnecessary or unremunerative services) and the co-ordination of all forms of passenger and goods transport, including transport by rail and sea; (d) the regulation and control of traffic; (e) the construction and maintenance of roads and the cost thereof; and (f) any other matter affecting traffic or transport that the President may refer to the Board.”

From this two questions: is the President being advised with respect to the operation and control of the traffic situation in TT; and what has been his response to the Transport Board?

MVRTA 62. (8). “In this section and section 62A— Second Schedule. “built-up area” means the City of Port-of-Spain, the City of San Fernando, the Borough of Arima, and any other area or road or portion thereof declared by Order of the Board to be a built-up area for the purposes of this section… Maximum Speed kilometres per hour:

• Motor vehicle constructed to carry more than ten; goods vehicle; private motor car with trailer: Outside a Built-up Area – 65; Within a Built-up Area – 50

• Tractor: Outside a Built-up Area – 35; Within a Built-up Area – 20

• Any other motor vehicle: Outside a Built-up Area – 80; Within a Built-up Area – 50: Long Circular Road; Saddle Road; Diego Martin Main Road; Beetham Highway from its intersection with Wrightson Road to the flyover in the vicinity of the Central Market (also commonly known as the “NP Flyover”); Eastern Main Road—from its intersection with the boundary of the City of Port-of-Spain to the 30-kilometre post on the Eastern Main Road; North Coast Road; Morne Coco Road; The Eastern Main Road from Guaico to Sangre Grande (i.e., from the 45-kilometre mark to the 50-kilometre mark); Caroni South Bank Road, Kelly Village, County of Caroni between the two-kilometre mark and St. Helena Junction; Caroni Savannah Road from Chaguanas to its junction with the South Trunk Road, Charlieville; All roads lying within the radius of two kilometres of the Magistrate’s Court, Chaguanas; Southern Main Road, County of Caroni, between the nine-kilometre mark and the 15-kilometre mark; Chaguanas Main Road in the County of Caroni; Cacandee Road, Chaguanas in the County of Caroni; Southern Main Road— (a) from its junction with the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway to the ten-kilometre post or mark; (b) from its junction with the Princess Margaret Highway to the 25-kilometre post or mark; (c) from the 45-kilometre post or mark to the boundary of the Borough of San Fernando.”

These are not all the roads considered to be in “built-up areas”, and thus with lower speed restrictions from the well-known 80 kmph, but these are some of the key roads well-used by motorists who often travel at speeds much above 80 kmph. Therefore, consideration should be given to enforcing the speed limits for built-up areas on these roads.

For example, the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), Chaguanas campus was recently opened on Pierre Road Connector in Chaguanas, and this road falls within the category of “lying within the radius of two kilometres of the Magistrate’s Court, Chaguanas”, and so the speed limit is 50 kmph; but speeds, especially on mornings, are higher than 100 kmph. Also, what about the speeds on the Southern Main Road or the Eastern Main Road in areas described above? To me, the need for speed enforcement on roads in “built-up areas” are more critical, as the consequences of crashes are likely to be more serious.

What about Beetham Highway between Wrightson Road and NP Flyover; does any motorist travel at 50 kmph or less during off peak periods? Is it practical to so do?

The MVRTA is this section also states: “Bridges Special Speed Limit (kilometres per hour): B1/2 Saddle Road – 15; B1/5 Maracas Royal Road – 15; B1/14 over Honda River, Southern Main Road – 15”. Can the authorities visualise a speed limit of 15 kmph on these roads? The police can send a lot of money to the State coffers by simply setting up their speed devices at these bridges.

MVRTA Section 105 states “Wherever dual carriageways are provided along a public road all vehicles shall proceed along or keep to the left hand carriageway and shall keep to the left side of the left hand carriageway except when overtaking. Any vehicle entering such road from a side road or intersecting road will bear to the left and if desiring to cross the road or to pass on to the further carriageway it will keep to the left of the traffic island situated opposite to the junction from which it has emerged and forming part of the central strip dividing the dual carriageway.”

More details are needed, since when this was written, there were only four-lane divided carriageways. For nearly 20 years or so, we have had six-lane divided carriageways, such as on Churchill Roosevelt Highway and Uriah Butler Highway, with three lanes in each direction. It is not uncommon to see a driver motoring along at 80 kmph on the extreme right lane, oblivious to everyone else, except when the police vehicle sounds the horn to move out of the way, after which the driver returns to his lane.

MVRTA Section “18. The driver of a vehicle shall not park, stop his vehicle, or overtake another vehicle within a “Zebra” controlled area. 19. (1) A pedestrian shall not cross the carriageway within the vicinity of a “Zebra” crossing except within the limit of the give-way line. (2) Every pedestrian on a “Zebra” crossing has precedence over any vehicle and the driver of the vehicle shall accord such precedence to the pedestrian where the pedestrian came onto the “Zebra” crossing prior to the vehicle.” Neither of these is observed nor enforced.

In summary, before we focus exclusively on the 80 kmph, there are several issues to be carefully studied.