Cabinet approves Radar Guns
CABINET has approved the use and purchase of 400 speed detection devices, also called radar guns, to curb speeding on the nation’s roads, and once available they should be in operation by February next year.
Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz, who made the disclosure yesterday at the post-Cabinet press conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, said depending on the delivery of the devices, “we would expect they will be in use by February 2014.”
Tenders for the supply of the devices, he said will be advertised “very soon” by the Vehicle Management Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (VMCOTT) which is the procurement agency of the TT Police Service. According to Cadiz the delivery period is not extensive.
The devices will be used on daily patrols of highways and main arteries by police officers across all the divisions in both Trinidad and Tobago. “We have talked about this long enough,” he said, “and we will now see them as part of daily patrols.”
Noting that the procurement of the speed detection devices had been under discussion for many years, Cadiz said the issue of speed, which plays a major role in road accidents is very relevant today.
The kinds of accidents seen in recent times, he said were due to excessive speeding.
With the modernisation of the road network system in which there is more than two lanes, sometimes three and four lanes, he said it was extremely difficult to place speed bumps on highways hence the need for the radar guns.
The modern hand-held devices, which would be able to detect speed for over a mile away, he said is similar to what is used in other jurisdictions.
Excellent, apply it to both main roads and highways, especially around schools and pedestrian areas.