Most Bahamians:
1)do not know how to drive properly or do not have a licence
2)cannot handle their vehicles (eg, turning corners, driving at 20mph)
3)do not signal
4)run red lights
5)overtake when they should not
6)have black or blue smoke/fumes coming out of their cars exhaust

Most Police:
1)instead of booking you for driving 1 mph over the speed limit at cable beach where its a pathetic 15mph. should be out at night booking drunk and high drivers (you cant find any traffic cops out at night)
2)should take the cars off the road with black/blue smoke and arrest them as that stuff kills
3)should patrol more at night
4)should wait at traffic lights hidden somewhere to book people running the lights
5)should book people who cant signal or drive properly

Government:
1)put up license capture cameras at traffic lights (www.extremecctv.com) to catch the perpitrators
2)put up surveillance cameras all over the place on lamp poles to capture other traffic violations as well as to prevent crime.

Personally I detest when people do not signal, as this could cause me to go into the back of them and kill myself. The idea of signalling is to let the person behind you that you will be slowing down or stopping, most people seem to just use the signal WHEN THEY TURN which is absolutely useless! And they should be arrested.

I also hate when people drive their vehicles on the road with blue smoke coming out of it, choking me because they are doing 10 mph and we cant overtake.

Well thats just me. Perhaps these issues can eventually be cleared up in the near future with our new government?

I doubt the issues you raised will be cleared up by this government. This government promised to bring hope and help. They said hope and help are on the way. What we are seeing is hope is dead and help has gone astray!

They will do nothing that improves our living. They cannot even implement the seatbelt law!

All your points are valid and easy to implement if there was adequate leadership for this country. They are prepared to victimize people at the drop of a hat but it is a struggle to act to improve the lives of the people who six months ago overwhelmingly supported them.

We need to take things into our own hands at the community level.

i agree with you rory

Rory you have hit the nail on the head again but I would love it if you can use some of the influence that you have to correct that problem

Driving in Nassau is terrible. I am sorry to say but I can no longer obey the streetlights. When the redlight says go, if i heed, I might have a funeral service the following weekend. Something needs to be done about redlights being run. If a police is assigned at the Prince Charles, Seabreeze, Monastary light I am sure the Government would be rich off of fines. That light is being ran by the minutes and with speed.

Originally posted by southandros
Driving in Nassau is terrible. I am sorry to say but I can no longer obey the streetlights. When the redlight says go, if i heed, I might have a funeral service the following weekend. Something needs to be done about redlights being run. If a police is assigned at the Prince Charles, Seabreeze, Monastary light I am sure the Government would be rich off of fines. That light is being ran by the minutes and with speed.

This must be one of the worst intersections in Nassau. I must cross it every day on the way home from the office and it can be insane.

Not only do people ignore the red light on Prince Charles, but the company hired by the Govt. to maintain the traffic lights does not do their job. May I stray from the thread and discuss that clusterfsck for a moment?

When the last political party was in power, all traffic lights in Nassau were maintained by a small Canadian company employing about three Bahamian guys, and provided them with bucket trucks and all the tools they needed to maintain the traffic lights. This same company maintained the toll booth plaza on the PI bridge. If you remember, at this time traffic lights bulbs would rarely burn out, and the only problems would be that the traffic control systems would fall back to fail safe mode sometimes. This is when you see them blinking red/yellow. Usually caused by BEC brownouts and power dips.

Now this brings us to the our current Govt. They weaseled out of the contract with Intrex, who was forced to lay off their Bahamian staff and pack up shop. I am all for using Bahamian talent rather than bringing in help from outside, but really, this company had one Canadian guy here as a manager, and three Bahamian techs to fixed the lights. We now have two guys in a white Ford full size van with a bucket and arm on top that appears to be held on with duct tape and fiberglass. We have to put up with an unprecedented number of traffic lights being out across the island, which is not only annoying, but unsafe as well. Have you been over the bridge lately? Maybe two tolls booths open, and things are in disrepair.

Here is the best part: Although I cannot confirm this, I have heard that a close friend of the minister responsible for the traffic control systems owns the new company that maintains the lights. Hmmm.....


Such is life.:confused:

Now that you mentioned the out of service streetlights, I recall several lights in Nassau not working recently. To me, the traffic flows better in the mornings but they need to be operative at all times to avoid accidents because I have never seen so much mean bahamians who refuse to let you cross, even if they are not moving and can't go anywhere. I have actually seen traffic jams when the lights are not working and no one can move for at least five minutes because no one wants to let anyone cross the street.

Also, the jitney buses own the streets. They are always running traffic lights and making their own lanes to get where they want to go. Where are the policemen when this happens? Well probably booking for tints they assume is to dark and sometimes if they are not in a good mood, harrassing innocent people? I am sure they know the route the jitney buses take every morning so why aren't the cops around?

BEWARE, if you see a jitney bus good ways away, don't attemp to cross the street because they will speed up on you and you may not make it. They never let you out a corner. Just let them own the streets if they want just to avoid you headache.

Oh and speaking of who the minister knows, I know of several situations where certain companies are hired for certain jobs because of their connection with the bigtimers who have all the say. Well, this is why things may never change in the Bahamas. We don't hire anymore for the performance but for who knows who. Mind, there is nothing wrong with them hiring who they know once they are performing up to standard, but why hire them if they are lousy. This is what hurts the Bahamian companies today and nothing changes. For example, BEC, Water Works, National Insurance, Batelco, etc. "Sorry if that is they cousin or a close friend, but if they don't qualify, they don't qualify". Tell them go get some more training and come back later. Give the person who can do the job a try.:rolleyes:

I happened to be driving all over the city yesterday and found several lights malfunctioning and one on Market St. with the RED bulbs burnt out. It would have been easy to cross the intersection and SMASH!!!! right into my passenger side. Something needs to be done.

Remember friends. Driving in Nassau is a contact sport. Learn the rules, keep your insurance up to date, keep your eyes open and pray! (If you are an atheist, do whatever you do.)

Don't look for any help soon. There are too many cars, too many bad drivers, not enough police and no will to do anything about it.

Originally posted by CG
not enough police and no will to do anything about it.

you got that right,as for road traffic, its a joke, the police have what, 5 motorbikes, and you cant find any cops out on the triffic lights stopping people running red lights, theyre playing dominos or drinking kalik at arawak cay! :--))))0

I have right offs every other week at my corner on eastern rd, the last one the person mashed my garbage can and crashed my wall, i called but the poilce never came, and the person had a tow truck come and left the scene, I get these alot. Every one is a drunk driving hit and run!

You are so correct Rory! The not using indicator lights before turning is absolutely chronic. It is the greatest irony here that people are so polite to the point of being dangerous in some areas of motorist etiquette e.g stopping dead in the middle of a major road in order to let a motorist turn into the line of traffic, but so moronically rude to not even bother to indicate that they are turning. I get so mad when I wait for a car to pass before i turn only to see it turn before it reaches me without indicating it is going to do so...this is downright pig ignorant!