The speed limit on all major highways throughout T&T has been increased to 100 kilometres per hour and will take effect today.
However, this only means motorists will face the full brunt of the law if they exceed this new limit, as police officers will not be exercising any level of leniency.
The way for the new speed limit was cleared after President Anthony Carmona assented to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic (Amendment) (No 2) Act of 2017. Yesterday, Ministry of Works and Transport workers began replacing the speed limit signs to reflect the new 100 kilometre per hour limit soon to be enforced.
In a release yesterday, the ministry said it was working with the office of the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs for the publication of the requisite legal notices “to allow for the regulation and enforcement of the new speed limits in Trinidad and Tobago.”
The amended Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act bill was debated and passed in the Senate on November 28. The new bill will permit the new speed limit to increase from 80 km per hour to 100km per hour.
Contacted on the move yesterday, Arrive Alive (AA) president Sharon Inglefield said they had no issue with raising the speed limit but noted it must be “subject to proper road safety maintenance and infrastructure to include a minimum of a three-star status international rating for roads ... meaning,…excellent road markings with thermoplastic paint, signage, lighting, road surfaces, pot hole repairs, barriers, pedestrian crossings and an Irapp audit that will ensure that present road network is safe at higher speeds and that the most vulnerable are protected.”
However, she noted that there needs to be discussed the lack of proper signage “going into villages, towns and around schools at 30 kph! Nobody seems to remember that we all need to slow down to protect pedestrians in these areas!”
Inglefield urged the TTPS to continue to include the enforcement with the new speed guns and breathalyser tests.
Yesterday, driver Khalil Khan said whilst he welcomed the increase he hopes the authorities will focus on reckless drivers. Another driver, Sasier Gokool, said she had no objection providing checks are done to ensure the increased speed limit adheres to proper design standards to maintain safe commute of the public. Shivanee Ramadhar, of Chaguanas, said the increased speed limit should play a role in easing the traffic congestion.