NRA to host Cayman’s first road safety week
(CNS): The National Roads Authority (NRA) has announced plans for the first-of-its-kind conference next week focusing on road safety. The conference opens on Monday, 1 October, and includes not just the authority responsible for building safe roads but other stakeholders including the police and the motor insurance sector. Billed as Road Safety Week, the conference will include local and international speakers. Edward Howard, NRA’s Acting Managing Director, said the conference will see relevant stakeholders share their knowledge about creating safer roads.
Joseph Hew, Minister for Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure who is responsible for roads, said the NRA has been hard at work improving the safety of our road networks. “We can already see the results,” he said. “However the Cayman Islands is small and has limited space, so as we move forward we need to be innovative in the way we manage our road network. Our roads are not only for drivers, but for pedestrians and cyclists to all share. We are committed to creating a safer environment for everyone, and having all stakeholders together will help us to find a solution that is best suited for the needs of our community.”
Special guest at the conference will be road safety expert Michael Dreznes, the vice president of the International Road Federation (IRF), a global not-for-profit organisation that assists member countries in moving towards better, safer and smarter road systems.
Having the IRF share its knowledge at the conference is part of a strategy by the NRA to fulfil its vision of building a world-class workforce.
“In this fast-paced world of innovation and progress, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in the roads industry. The NRA is invested in employee professional development,” said the NRA Chief HR Officer Shena Ebanks.
The NRA will host IRF workshops at the conference that will focus on a variety of topics including road audits and innovative financing mechanism for road safety.
The conference will also feature local speakers from a number of government entities, private businesses and non-profit organisations including the NRA, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Cayman Islands Insurance Association and the Cayman Islands Motorcycle Association.
It will take place between 1 and 4 October at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, and is open to all government departments, road safety stakeholders and the public.
Registration is $150 per person, and space is limited. Anyone interested in taking part can email anita.smith@nra.ky or call 326-3974.
Category: Local News
nra is just another incompetent arm of the civil service….a rats nest of of incompetence and negligence….
nra…the folks who expanded smith road but still kept the 4-way at the hospital junction…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I’ve driven in 30 or more countries around the world and Cayman genuinely has some of the best roads in the world. Also some of the worst drivers. It’s not even about speed; streches of 7MB corridor bypasses are as good a road as some German Autobahn. In a single journey from GT to WB last week I nearly got taken out 3 times my morons turning right round the outside of roundabouts. So dumb.
I listened to ttheir show on rooster this morning and found them especially Mr. Edward Howard to be quite knowledgeable and polite. I believe the NRA would do better for the communities if they all worked in tandem with the other relevant bodies, i.e. The ministers responsible, planning department, public works, CUC, the lands and survey dept., the water companies, the telephone companies, and last but by no means least, the police. I believe collaboration is lacking and would go a long way in improving the driving, riding and pedestrian experience.
Boy, so many negative comments about the NRA. Perhaps everyone should be willing to start paying more taxes for road improvements; especially the trucking industry that does 90% of the structural damage to the roads.
The concept of having a fully funded roads authority has never been fully implemented because politicians can only think in four-year increments.
Look at what Dart did with the construction of the northern portion of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. If that level of investment was made to the rest of the country we could enjoy a first-class road system with drainage that works.
Quit bitching about the competency of the NRA staff when you have no idea what you are talking about.
Brian , it’s all about how you spend your money building those roads . Do you know that some people can take $50,000 and build the same house , that someone built for a $100,000 . It’s all in managing your job project . Just like managing your investment .
Were you not in charge when both the Island heritage and Tomlinson roundabouts were built?, i would probably keep my mouth shut.
No. Those were before my time.
Why pay for this? A good police force spending a few months pulling over anyone for any infraction would do more to inform the public how to drive with nice fines.
yep….. welcome to wonderland…..
Is Paul speaking?
At $150 per person they don’t have to worry if the space is limited. For a start just fill in all the potholes.
Smh. It’s only when there is a fatality that all of a sudden road safety gets put back in the spotlight. I guess nothing will be done to avoid jumping the curb/head on collisions on the Harquail Bypass until another avoidable death occurs.
Can we ask for advice on how to make a round about not turn to ice after a few drops of rain? It’s only a question of time before someone gets a serious injury or worse at that fidelity death trap.
How about don’t go so fast around them?
That’s funny. Never had a problem. Perhaps learn to control your vehicle?
How about: the only illuminated part of West Bay Road – in the heart of the Hotel Tourism area – is on the rough eastern vegetated side of the street, not on the western side with an actual semblance of sidewalk.
Planting unforgiving 8″ high curbing just inches from the normal roadway, on islands of distracted and impaired drivers is not a safe idea for them or for law abiding others. We can’t even paint the lane lines properly. Is there ANYONE on staff with a civil engineering degree, or highway design accred? If so, where are they hiding? Sadly, most of us regret we will not be able to attend your 4-day $150pp limited space Ritz Carlton public consultation…sounds a lot like a private party from where we’re standing. I hope the widows and family members of the many deceased attend, along with reps from cycling/triathlon associations to inject some reality into whatever this charade is.
Big curbs? Oh no. How terrible. Don’t hit them. At least they generally keep the crappy hondas off any sidewalk even if they won’t stop an SUV.
They want to teach their drivers how to drive safely and within speed limits first.
Have they been following the International Road Assessment Program (IRAP) assessment recommendations, that conducted in 2014? Or IRAP has never produced the assessment report? NRA allegedly paid $150,000 for the assessment.
First? Hmm….short memory.
http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/nra-to-undertake-roads-evaluation/
Dated January 17, 2014:
“Safety assessment teams are hitting the highways and byways of the Cayman Islands to give star ratings on the state of local roads.
The object of the exercise is to identify roads that are under par in terms of safety so they can be improved and, in turn, the number of fatal accidents slashed. …..”The NRA has teamed up with the International Road Assessment Program, a nonprofit organization that is providing road inspections, road safety investment plans, technology and support to the Cayman Islands.
The road assessment project will cost US$155,000, NRA officials said.”
THE REPORT HAS NEVER MATERIALIZED!
Put street lights on the East -West Arterial to Newlands and a shoulder to change a flat tire!
Oh wait- never mind, the New and improved LPH doesn’t have any accommodations for this either
$150pp to voice public input!
I just have to wonder if the NRA knows what they are doing .
Here they have already made /built and messed up the roads , but now they are getting expert advice on road safety and how to build roads, and make them safe , and how to build a world-class work force . How hard is it to do the job professionally and efficiently, when from the Boss down to the supervisor should everything about what they’re doing.
I believe that this conference is all about political campaign fundraising more than road safety .
And bicycles lanes that ends into a side walk? Instead of safety minister Hew, why not implement a road system that people can get to school and work at time? I’m leaving home 6.45 and stuck in traffic and just getting to work at 8.35. I could leave early but school doesn’t open until 8.45 and coming home it is the same crap! I wonder why we spend all this money on new roads and yet I can’t even enjoy my home? 3 hours on the road each work day is ridiculous for a 7 mile route.
Its going to get worse another 10 story condo going up
If the NRA are so focused on road safety then why have they designed the roads approaching the roundabouts which go from three lanes to two in a way that forces the non-passing lane to merge into the passing lane? Technically we are supposed to use the lanes to the right to overtake slower moving vehicles so why hatch off the slowest moving lane and force the slowest moving of traffic to move into a faster moving lane? This makes no sense and it is no wonder that slow vehicles, vehicles with trailers and heavier trucks are hogging the passing lanes and not moving over to allow others to pass when the message from the NRA via their road markings is that this lane is not the lane that everyone should to be travelling in.
You’re right it makes no sense at all but it’s not really that dangerous. You can assume anyone in the left hand lane is clueless and give them a wide berth.