Danger gone

The controversial structure which once served as the entrance to the Villages in Coverley, Christ Church, is gone.

And while the African Heritage Foundation (AHF), which had lobbied for its removal is pleased it is no longer there, they now want the charges against a mother who was hauled before the courts after her son was killed when her vehicle collided with the structure, dropped.

President of the AHF Paul Simba Rock told Barbados TODAY he was glad motorists traversing the Adams section of the ABC Highway no longer had to worry about the dangers of the protrusion, however, he said the organization was still very peeved that Felisha Osula Holder continued to face a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, following the death of her son on June 26, 2015. Almost three years after the accident in which 11-year-old Abijah Holder Phillips lost his life, Felisha 

Osula Holder was charged with the offence.

He said the organization had sent a petition to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution calling for the matter, which has now been moved to the High Court to be dismissed.

“I am glad it has been removed and that a safer structure has been built so that it is no more a danger to others. But I don’t want people to forget that a young man’s life was lost,” Rock said.

“Before this accident occurred, based on what the Town and Country Planning Department had said, that structure was illegal and it remained there and a young man lost his life. A mother is now paying for something she should not be,” Rock said.

Meanwhile, president of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA) Charmaine Roland-Bowen is over the moon that Maloney has finally come good on his promise to remove the contentious protrusion.

While that area has now been completely blocked off, a roundabout has been constructed to ensure a safe exit and entrance to persons entering the residential area, as well as those traversing that stretch of the highway.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Bowen said she was happy to see alternative arrangements had been made.

“That posed a serious threat as there were a number of collisions, including a death which would have happened there. By moving it, it increases the measure of safety for persons using that area of the road. The roundabout is a good move. We believe it is a lot safer and you’re at less risk because it is a safety measure which will allow persons to slow down and it is a good improvement for what has happened there,” Roland-Bowen said.

She said the improvements were particularly timely, following the relocation of hundreds of students from the Ross University School of Medicine to Coverley, which meant there would be increased traffic in the area.

However, Roland-Bowen said there were still some areas, which needed to be upgraded for the safety of motorists.

She pointed to stretch of road leading from the Henry Forde roundabout at Newton, Christ Church, that she said needed “some remedial work done”.

The BRSA president also called for the government to replace a number of streetlights on the highway, which were not functional and posed a serious threat to drivers.

randybennett@barbadostoday.bb