Police net 40 speeders in one day across eastern districts
(CNS): RCIPS officers issued 40 tickets to speeders in a one-day operation last week focused on drivers between Bodden Town and North Side. Following the regular holiday seasonal crackdown on rogue drivers, the traffic unit said they would continue targeted traffic enforcement initiatives into the new year.
The police focused on areas known for speeding, such as Breakers, Rex Crighton Boulevard, Chime Street, North Side Road and Rum Point Road. Meanwhile, the NRA is working to make Spotts Straight safer but residents have raised concerns about the plans.
During a one-day operation last week, police issued 43 tickets, including 40 for speeding offences, one for expired registration and two for illegal tint. Superintendent for the Eastern Districts and Sister Islands Richard Barrow said that some drivers are using the long, straight and less busy roads in the districts he covers as racetracks.
“The Eastern Districts experiences some of the most extreme speeding due to the long stretches of open road and minimal traffic compared to other districts,” he said. “Even though a maximum 50-mile speed limit is in place on sections of the main arterial route, this is too often not adhered to. Drivers can become complacent when there is minimal traffic around, and some choose to treat the roadway like a racetrack.”
Barrows said that he was particularly concerned about people speeding during the night.
“At night time in particular, it is vital that motorists obey the speed limits and drive with consideration of other road users. When speeding, drivers drastically minimise their ability to respond in time to avoid an obstacle or collision. To make our roadways a safe place for all, we must slow down,” he said.
The police have said they will maintain a sustained presence across the island’s roads because the number of crashes is increasing and the standard of driving is getting worse. Despite the elevated and persistent promotion of road safety, there is no sign of a decline in collisions on Grand Cayman.
In 2024, the police tackled as many as 100 crashes a week. In addition to the 14 road fatalities last year, many more suffered serious injuries.
Meanwhile, attempts to make the Spotts Straight area safer have raised concerns for residents, who have been begging the government to reduce the speed limit and tackle the dangers presented by the three-lane road, which has a 40mph speed limit and multiple residential driveways turning directly onto it.
The National Roads Authority has opted to install delineators along the centre of the straight, stretching from the Chrissie Tomlinson roundabout to Spotts Newlands Road, to eliminate overtaking. Work began on the project over the weekend. Access for residents will be maintained with openings along the road.
“Excessive speeding has been identified as a leading cause of accidents and fatalities in this area, with widespread noncompliance with the 40-mph speed limit,” the NRA said in a release about the work.
“While reducing the speed limit to 25 mph was initially considered, the National Roads Safety Council (NRSC) determined that this measure alone would not sufficiently address reckless and habitual speeding. Instead, a multi-faceted approach, combining enforcement, engineering improvements and revised safety standards, has been developed to mitigate risks along this critical corridor,” the release added.
But the Save Lives on Shamrock Road group, which has been campaigning for years to have the speed limit reduced and speed cameras installed, is concerned that the current plans could make things worse since traffic will still be moving at speed but in narrower lanes, making it more difficult to turn.
A spokesperson for the local residents association told CNS that they were disappointed that there were no plans for speed cameras and that the government had ignored many of their concerns. Given the continued lack of any real improvement to public transport and no sign of the population decreasing, the delineators won’t solve the problem and can potentially make the road even more dangerous.
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Good start.
There is an opportunity to build on this throughout all entities of the CIG whether department or authorities.
How about if 2025 was the beginning of building a culture of enforcement, in all areas of public life. DEH. Planning. T&BL. RCIP- all divisions. OfReg. Licensing. Beach Access. Every single entity.
The time is now to act/react. The time for giving grace, taking an education first approach, or benefit of the doubt is over.
Change the culture of passiveness towards enforcement and watch how the quality of life for all improves.
Start today. In all departments.
I used to see at least 40 speeders each way on my daily commute from BT. Seriously. They need to do better.
What only 40? Loads more eedyats out there than that. Make the fine 1,000 ci or impound their car for a month that’ll work
Good start. They probably got 10% of them, for one day.
So let’s start by doing this 7 days per week. And let’s make sure that number goes from 40 to somewhere in the range of 250-400.
Let’s also make sure to issue tickets for lack of licensing on the vehicle. Lack of insurance, lack of driver license. And let’s keep the K9 handy in case the dog smells some drugs.
Then get all these bastards off the roads and either into prison, or back to their home countries.
This includes Caymanians, yes?
Free money making solution, bring in private traffic…nah, only joking. I’m not that guy!
Seriously, 40 speeders in a day, that just tells you it’s tip of the iceberg stuff.
Get units on the road 24/7, overlapping shifts so there’s no safe time for idiots to do their thing. Expand the traffic division, but do so with trained up and keen officers, who know how to drive.
I’ve even seen a car recently with one of those old license plate covers, blast from the not so recent past. I’d reckon is about 1 in 4 vehicles here are either faulty, or have a driver doing something shady. Fix it!!!
Posting up in the Lighthouse Restaurant parking lot with a radar gun aimed at the portion of the road that changes from 50 MPH to 30 MPH and ticketing people for doing 37 MPH because they didn’t slow down after first noticing the sign is nothing to be proud of.
Speeding tickets should be payable on the spot. Anyone wishing to argue can take the time to appeal at Court (they won’t).
If they dont have a Debit card/cash, they lose their licence until they do.
Speeding on our roads is beyond serious, the astonishing undertaking and clear racing taking part across the country daily leaves most drivers afraid.
I’m all for completely draconian punishments on speeding until this virus is wiped from our people. The total lack of respect for 90% of the road users is unfathomable. If this was in the UK, most of these speeders in their tinted windows would be followed and beaten up by the driver they cut off at the next red light.
Stop speeding Cayman. Stop undertaking. Stop riding my behind on the road. Stop taking racing lines at roundabouts.
Just bloody smarten up.
Yeah, there would definitely be no corruption from a bunch of ex-JDF accepting cash on the spot from totally-not-targeted “offenders”, where they require no proof and no witnesses.
If some fool tailgates you, just slow down to a crawl, let them sit behind you and roast in their own juices. It’s really rather fun, I do it to any prick that sits on my bumper. Back off and I’ll speed up again.
Install radars, reduce the Spotts highway to 2 lanes, and put up traffic lights every 1 mile from Ocean Club to Frank Sound. Stiffer fines for speeding,drunk, and reckless drivers and increase the driving age to 18 with learning from 17.
We’ve got too many private vehicles on our roads, a limit of 1 vehicle per household, no vehicles for those on 2 years or less work permit holders, and mandatory driver’s and written test to be completed by blacklisted countries.
A 24/7 reliable island wide public transportation is urgently required with modern/green large sized 50-80 passengers.
you lost me with “traffic lights every 1 mile from Ocean Club to Frank Sound”
Have you ever seen a speed trap during the days of the week and the time at night/early morning when the most drivers and cyclists die? Never. Most deaths are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night between the hours of 12 and 6am. You don’t need to be a crime analyst to figure this $#%T out! Instead they give tickets during the morning commute, and right after the slow down/lower speed limit sign.
Jamaican police and Jamaican drivers, what type of results are you looking for folks?
Caymanians blaming Jamaicans for everything under the sun wrong is hilarious.
Plenty Caymanians driving like their hair on fire with illegal tint and tags and lights every damn day.
Of course there are. Who denied that? The real question is: are you implying that the presented scenario of Jamaican drivers being given a bly by Jamaican cops is made up? Or do you have eyes in your head also?
Assuming you’re still holding on to your ocular blessings, do you think we should continue to: a) allow Jamaican drivers to get licensed locally without taking a test, when clearly they are terrible, sub-standard drivers? and b) import corrupt ex-JDF officers with direct ties to drug gangs back home (and therefore here in Cayman as well)?
now they speedinh/racing in little cayman…i have witnessed it personally…idiots..if a accident…omly a nurse with limited supplies….ahhh…
EE loop 6-8 am on Sat/Sun is a racetrack and needs some enforcement.
Scares the ever living $hit out of you if you’re on a pedal bike out there and they come by at 100mph from behind.
I was passed by a large speeding truck on Spotts Straight 2 weeks ago and when it whipped by me I saw it was an NRA truck 🤷🏻♀️
No Road Acumen.
Finally! Now do the Esterly Tibbetts and West Bay Road raceways.
Come on what do you expect, I mean the motor bikes and cars only race Sunday afternoon between 3-5 a half mile from the WB station. You need to temper your expectations.
Seven years after the fancy electronic plates rolled out, and we are still playing catch-up with speeders. Were those plates supposed to do more than look tech-savvy, or was the real benefit just a shinier license plate for Cayman’s speed demons? Feels like we are issuing tickets while the real solution is stuck at a red light.
What is the penalty/fine for those speeding tickets? And what happens if a driver simply ignores a ticked and does not pay on time? Any follow-up from RCIPS? Double the fine after deadline for payment? Outstanding arrest warrant and suspended license?
CNS, how many unpaid speeding tickets are there currently outstanding and what follow-up by RCIPS?
Enforcement is required to make a difference.
…work permits revoked should be amongst the penalties for repetition or non payment of ticket.
The ticket is a court date or fine. If you don’t pay, it’s assumed you also missed court date. A failure to appear warrant is then live. People are subject to arrest at this point. Of course, the hours wasted by this approach are many, and worth way more than just a ticket.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, we need proactive policing not reactive. If the RCIPS would simply post one cruiser, clearly visible on the side of the road, with its light tips on, this single action would have far greater impact on slowing down drivers than any other action. Delineators, speed bumps, lower traffic speeds are mere bandaids. Lets get proactive RCIPS!
You so smart, you should run for office.
he’s familiar with the police on this island. LOLZ.
If some officers weren’t tied up with dealing with domestics, some more tickets might get issued.
Big whoop, finally did an hour’s work.
Split across multiple days without a shadow of a doubt and only using safe spots—gas stations, restaurants and bar parking lots, or entrances to shopping centers—and only during daylight hours.
Attempting roadside interceptions would be a death wish that would leave Grogg, our green visitor in flip-flops, scratching his hairless head in sheer wonderment!