The Solomon Hochoy and it's Carnage History... (article)

[mr. mindz]

The Solomon Hochoy Highway is the major north-south highway in Trinidad and Tobago. It connects Chaguanas with San Fernando. It meets the Uriah Butler Highway at Chaguanas.... The highway was named for Solomon Hochoy, the first Caribbean-born Governor of Trinidad and Tobago and the first Governor General of Trinidad and Tobago. Originally constructed as a two-lane highway in the early 1970s it was expanded to a four-lane dual carriageway in the late 1970s.

In 2001 work was started to extended the highway to completely by-pass San Fernando.... This work was completed in 2003 and the southern part of the highway now ends at Golconda.

The engineers which constructed the highway apparently never saw the future of this little island, being the mecca for the automotive industry in the english speaking Caribbean. From the 1970's to present day, it has been over 35 years and no initiative has been made to add a third active lane to the highway, except from Chaguanas to Grand Bazaar ( which is in a mess. ) In that 35 years the figures of the vehicles on our nation's roads has been multiplied by thousands... The ratios of vehicle per household are very high in Trinidad, and our present infrastructure for public road ways for the passage of vehicles, goods & people are sadly poor.



Have you ever actually walked on the side of the highway, at day and at night? It's a bit scary looking at this long stretch of asphalt spanning from north to south... with a multitude of vehicles moving at high quaking velocities, dipping in and out of lanes... some driving slow on the right lane, others over taking on the shoulder... that highway and the way we as drivers use the highway, is a threat to human welfare. From the surface of the road being uneven and poorly paved... to the fact that we have two lanes and people driving at three different speeds. The Government needs to take this into serious consideration before any more money is wasted in "trying" to clean up the carnage on the roads.... What it ever it takes, it HAS to be done.. before hundreds more are murdered on the roads. Some form of safety barrier needs to be stretched along the centre of the entire highway, from north to south no matter how much it costs. Too much innocent lives are taken from the errors of others on the opposite side of the highways... careening into other cars and causing devastating accidents.

And most importantly, a third lane.... here's the scenario, when there are the old age drivers, the old shake down cars, the vehicles that are loaded, Back-hoes, Equipment etc... these vehicles drive within a bracket of 40-60 kmph.... then there are those who drive between 80km - 120km, these are most common on the highway... and can be found randomly in either left or right lane... which is in fact against the law. There are signs that specifically state "keep left except when overtaking"... and that's another defect of our highways LACK OF PROPER SIGNAGE..... instead we are bombarded by billboards and distractions, and barely any safety and location information. Then there are the reckless ones who insist on 140-180kmph and they come bolting through... winding their way through the traffic that is already in a mess... All three groups share two lanes, in ABSOLUTELY no particular order... so we are to blame for all these deaths. We insist on breaking the law, and road carnage is the by-product of our own actions on the roads... sadly, the innocent ones get killed... the sleeping passengers, the babies, pregnant wives... and in alot of cases the drivers will live to tell their tale.



Implementing a third lane into the system, and placing strategic police traffic / check points through out the highway... with police patrolling frequently, because apparently Trini's take their time when they see the police... Traffic laws need to be reformed and reinforced... the speed limit is 80kph (50mph) on highways and 55kph (34mph) in built- up areas. But let's be real here... hardly any body obey's the 80kph limit, they should push the limit to a range between 100-120kph... and distribute the traffic parallel on both lanes, and the authorities must ensure the speed limit is not exceeded. With the slow drivers, old vehicles, loaded vehicles, equipment... etc.utilizing a third lane, with an additional shoulder in case of an emergency.



And most importantly.... WE as the citizens of this country must play our part instead of depending on the authorities to clean up our mess... over and over again. WE have to start being more critical and attentive on the highways... more cautious in our driving and start respecting our traffic laws. We must be mindful of others, and not be hasty and reckless in our driving habits. Accidents can happen to anyone.... but what causes these accidents can in fact be prevented. To all those youths who think going flat out is 'speed', please starting watching the streets from a different perspective... especially when it comes to speeds at which you have no control over, if something should slip... Alcohol consumption and our 'carnival like' mentality will always be a contributing factor to road carnage.. along with plain negligence and ignorance on the roads. And when will they pull all these old cars of the road that have no lights, no signals and smoking... with parts looking they're ready to fall off? The Government needs to reform their laws so everyone can atleast drive something 'decent' and take the junk and all the hazards off the roads....You all have 5 five years to prove yourselves and 1 year has already been wasted. What is the Government's plan with respect to alleviating grid lock traffic, road carnage & putting systems in place to ensure traffic laws are obeyed and respected.

People in Trinidad like too much talk....... They speak so much of human & social welfare, yet they do little to nothing to help prevent 'stupid' deaths...



jus my $00.02 Mindz...









HOPE YOU PPL LEARN FROM THESE PICS...

it was the second accident in Claxton Bay on Sat. Night...

the reckless survived, while the innocent were murdered.

[MG Man]

it was the second accident in Claxton Bay on Sat. Night...

the reckless survived, while the innocent were murdered.

details?

[brams112]

boi highways does be built in weeks?it takes a lot of planning,barriers it will take a few years too,,,but stupid drivers all the time.

[Sierra-117]

i have some pics of accidents that happened right here in good ole trini. makes one wonder what it is thats happening on the nations roadway. utter and complete carnage.. Driving on the solomon hochoy highway is like betting a quick pick. n these days plenty ppl getting the winning numbers

[wagonrunner]

mg man, so far the story is mazda 3 was hit by vehicle, crossed median, two lives claimed.

[Stephon.]

I absolutely hate the Solomon Hochoy Highway, I would dread moving to central/south because of it.

[acesinghit]

terrible way to go....I can't even make out what section of the body it is pinned behing the wheel...I suppose that is Tamara Sookdeo's body in the Primera? So Nicholas Attai got clipped and was sent through the median? I think he worked at Trinidad Publishing Co. but sad way to go indeed.

[rollingstock]

Is that the shock over that man's head

Loss of life that could have been easily avoided is sad yes.

[speedaholic]

i hate when people drive slow in the right lane... clearly they do not see the keep left except when overtaking sign! IMO this is a major cause of a lot of accident... ppl drivin slow on the right lane an some IDIOT comin up behind them lookin for a way to pass...
speeding doesn't kill reckless driving does.. there is a differance..

[lostallos101]

Mr. Mindz i agree with everything written there.....always said the speed limit was too slow and should be increased also but once done, police should be busy stopping anyone who goes over because then it would be just clear recklessness. The three lane thing also a good idea.

but in the end its the citizen's mentality we need to changed....so much lives being lost. Its sooo sad now.

also, the barriers....if we do stop someone from crossing the median, what will happen if someone hits it but comes back onto the road, wouldnt that endanger the innocent ppl coming up behind????

[speedaholic]

Mr. Mindz i agree with everything written there.....always said the speed limit was too slow and should be increased also but once done, police should be busy stopping anyone who goes over because then it would be just clear recklessness. The three lane thing also a good idea.

but in the end its the citizen's mentality we need to changed....so much lives being lost. Its sooo sad now.

also, the barriers....if we do stop someone from crossing the median, what will happen if someone hits it but comes back onto the road, wouldnt that endanger the innocent ppl coming up behind????

less chance of some1 dying from this.. rather than a head on...

[Bizzare]

Should dig a wide deep pit instead of barriers. Seriously.
Have no crossing the median or hitting the barriers and losing control etc.
Yuh ending up straight in the pit and well, whatever happens down there should be the end of the accident story

[SiR8081]

it was the second accident in Claxton Bay on Sat. Night...

the reckless survived, while the innocent were murdered.

details?

story is that some fool was speeding and tried to fit himself between two cars. one of the cars ended up in the grassy median where the driver lost control and went over to the other side and hit the car in which tamara sookdeo was travelling with her bf and parents.

tamara sookdeo was the 23. she just graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and at the end of this semester would have completed her 1st year of her masters in environmental engineering. she died instantly on impact when her head hit the door of the car.

her bf suffered a broken arm in 2 places and broke his ring finger. right now he is in a real mess. he was going to propose in august and had already planned out the entire scenario.

her father is in hospital alive maybe. i know that up to last night 11:56pm, his family was called to the hospital saying he may not live much longer. the father suffered two broken arms, two broken legs, broken ribs, fractured skull, punctured lung and is in a coma. Drs say he might not live they dont know.

the mother right now is in a mess having lost her daughter and maybe husband.

i have not called my friend to get any updates. his brother was the bf of tamara, i do not know what happened to the driver that caused the accident.

[mr. mindz]

also, the barriers....if we do stop someone from crossing the median, what will happen if someone hits it but comes back onto the road, wouldnt that endanger the innocent ppl coming up behind????

once the other road laws are implemeted.... eg: 3rd lane, police points, 100kph speed limit, etc.......

the individuals driving behind should be on sharp notice to see whats taking place in front, and if you are properly dispersed on the highway (3 lanes) and driving at a manageable speed... then avoiding an on coming vehicle headed in the same direction, or even spining towards you will be much easier to avoid, than one from the opposite direction, hitting you unconciously...

the accidents could at least NOT result in death, and in much less severity....

[M_2NR]

Mr mindz, one or two criticism. Yuh spell negligence wrong and something else again. Also tooo many full stops
Beyond that I say you should post it on Stance AND send it in to the papers.
But, unless we get some proper policing of our laws, nothing good will happen here.

My view on this:
What are the design speeds of the highways of Trinidad? I remember Mr. Colm Imbert (yeh i kid u not) mentioned this a while back. We need to take this into consideration. Adding another lane and increasing the speed limit wont necessarily help out. As you said, when the highways were designed, the evolution of transport and the exponential increase in traffic was not seriously taken into account.

[~Vēġó~]

WOW!!! is that the Tamara's father in the green jersey behind the wheel? really finding it hard to figure out the positioning of the head.....but rip to him and his daughter.....

good write mindz!!!

[mr. mindz]

^ thanks homie...

[Rory Phoulorie]

...when the highways were designed, the evolution of transport and the exponential increase in traffic was not seriously taken into account.

What messed up the traffic volume predictions was the introduction of foreign used vehicles in the 1990s.

Your statement above is a bit unfair to the planners who, when the last National Transportation Study was done more than 20 years ago, could not have predicted that Uncle Basdeo would have let the introduction of foreign used vehicle spiral out of control, giving every Tom, Rampartap and Harrilal access to mobile weapons.

[M_2NR]

...when the highways were designed, the evolution of transport and the exponential increase in traffic was not seriously taken into account.

What messed up the traffic volume predictions was the introduction of foreign used vehicles in the 1990s.

Your statement above is a bit unfair to the planners who, when the last National Transportation Study was done more than 20 years ago, could not have predicted that Uncle Basdeo would have let the introduction of foreign used vehicle spiral out of control, giving every Tom, Rampartap and Harrilal access to mobile weapons.

ahh good point
thanks for clearing that up.

[mr. mindz]

...when the highways were designed, the evolution of transport and the exponential increase in traffic was not seriously taken into account.

What messed up the traffic volume predictions was the introduction of foreign used vehicles in the 1990s.

Your statement above is a bit unfair to the planners who, when the last National Transportation Study was done more than 20 years ago, could not have predicted that Uncle Basdeo would have let the introduction of foreign used vehicle spiral out of control, giving every Tom, Rampartap and Harrilal access to mobile weapons.

ahh good point
thanks for clearing that up.

is very true what Rory saying eh ... but look at it this way...

when doing civil engineering, one / a group MUST design and construct with development, renovations, expansions & extensions in mind..... be it 5 years into the future or 50 years ahead of time....

this was clearly NOT exercised within the design and planning for the Solomon Hochoy highway....

I agree with Rory 100%, but this lack of development predictions has created a burden for today's present administration. Especially where our flyovers are concerned...

With respect to the volume of vehicles on our roads... this could easily be corrected by taking vehicles that have crossed a specific age limit off the roads.... and lifting the time limit for vehicles that are imported (japan). This way, we assist in cleaning up the country from hazards on the roads.. and create a better standard of living and transportation for citizens... which will inturn help in taking us to developed country status....

We have reached a point where we cant turn back our figures on the amount of vehicles we have locally, but with reformation of legislation, we can regulate the standard of vehicles on our roads, and here on... regulate that quantity that commute on a daily basis. The protective arms must ensure that the law is obeyed and exercised.

was the summit and all those high rise buildings really worth the spend ??? think about it...

[foots]

People will start respecting the speed limits as the gas subsidy is removed little by little....

[matthewmazda]

It so hard to drive within the speed limit

[cinco]

was dis published?
no?
den this is a commentary not an article

[bigchief3679]

With respect to the volume of vehicles on our roads... this could easily be corrected by taking vehicles that have crossed a specific age limit off the roads.... and lifting the time limit for vehicles that are imported (japan). This way, we assist in cleaning up the country from hazards on the roads.. and create a better standard of living and transportation for citizens... which will inturn help in taking us to developed country status....

These older vehicles or hazards that you speak of, how many of them have been involved in those recent high speed, extremely fatal accidents?

[TK!]

very good article. agree on all points.

i think we need:
-better enforcement.
-radar guns
-better driving school rules/laws. this one year ting nuh wuking. neither is the "pay for a license ting"

[MG Man]

With respect to the volume of vehicles on our roads... this could easily be corrected by taking vehicles that have crossed a specific age limit off the roads.... and lifting the time limit for vehicles that are imported (japan). This way, we assist in cleaning up the country from hazards on the roads.. and create a better standard of living and transportation for citizens... which will inturn help in taking us to developed country status....

These older vehicles or hazards that you speak of, how many of them have been involved in those recent high speed, extremely fatal accidents?

I fed up arguing that point
never mind all the 'new' vehicles rollin on smooth tyres, cut springs etc

[A172]

With respect to the volume of vehicles on our roads... this could easily be corrected by taking vehicles that have crossed a specific age limit off the roads.... and lifting the time limit for vehicles that are imported (japan). This way, we assist in cleaning up the country from hazards on the roads.. and create a better standard of living and transportation for citizens... which will inturn help in taking us to developed country status....

These older vehicles or hazards that you speak of, how many of them have been involved in those recent high speed, extremely fatal accidents?

I fed up arguing that point
never mind all the 'new' vehicles rollin on smooth tyres, cut springs etc

or fast cars for that matter

buh Trinis with their backwards ass "intelligence" believe dem is jivas and dey 100whp deadhorses have rel fires and rel impressed with such sh1t so they will NEVER understand or respect how much care should be taken when operating a vehicle and this is why road deaths will never stop based solely on account of people not being such fcukin idiots and doing the right thing.

[eekipoo]

very good article. agree on all points.

i think we need:
-better enforcement. - Major point
-radar guns - The police actually have radar guns saw them using it but the gasparillo flyover some time ago (about 3yrs). They actually caught some ppl but never saw them use it again
-better driving school rules/laws. this one year ting nuh wuking. neither is the "pay for a license ting"

- Defensive driving should be a requirement to acquire a license

[cinco]

they should teach people to DRIVE when you go for a license not just to operate the vehicle
i wish people could understand throttle and brake modulation

[A172]

wha so hard bout maintaining a speed of 80 - 100kmph and staying in a straight line? imagine DEATH occurs because these dotish kunts refuse to do sumn so simple and think they looking and feeling "kool" by ricing it up

steups