Road closure threat
VILLAGERS of Tamavua in Suva say they have had enough of over-speeding and inconsiderate drivers using Princess Road after an accident last Sunday landed a village elder in the intensive care unit at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.
A number of deaths have occurred over the years on the same stretch of road and the villagers are threatening to close it if nothing is done to address the issue.
“We have been asking and following the proper channel for years now through the bose-ni-tikina meetings and have been reassured every time by Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) officials that road humps will be constructed,” said village headman Sunia Malewa.
Following consultations with government officials, he said, promises were made but nothing had eventuated until today.
“We used to have road humps before, but FRA workers removed them, saying we can’t have road humps because of the need to get the sick as quickly as possible to the hospital. I don’t know if they realise that Lautoka and Wainibokasi hospitals have road humps leading up to it,” Mr Malewa said.
“In our last village meeting, our young men had suggested stoning speeding vehicles to get them to slow down, which was discouraged by the village elders.”
Mr Malewa said Tamavua landowners had given Government a piece of land for infrastructure development and the least it could do was respond positively to their request.
“If Government will not help us then we will have no choice but to close the road.”
Emails seeking a response from Minister for Infrastructure Ro Filipe Tuisawau and the FRA have remained unanswered.