It’s a gruesome scene that has become horrifyingly routine on our nation’s highways. Blue lights flashing against the night sky, traffic backed up for miles, and a sheet draped over a shattered body on the asphalt.
Lately, it feels like every time we log onto social media or open the news, another pedestrian has been struck down while trying to sprint across a multi-lane highway. We look at the headlines, shake our heads in disbelief, and ask ourselves the same burning question: Why would anyone risk their life for something so obviously dangerous?
The hard truth is that there is no easy solution, because this isn’t just an infrastructure problem— it is a cultural crisis. It is the direct result of a persistent, dangerous “third-world country” mentality that convinces citizens they are invincible and that local traffic laws are merely suggestions.
“Crossing a modern highway on foot shouldn’t even be a passing thought. Yet, too many people are still playing chicken with two-ton missiles travelling at 100km/h.”
A BYGONE ERA OF RISK
How did we get here? Decades ago, Trinidad and Tobago’s roads were different. There was a time when daring to cross the highway was a calculated risk that usually ended successfully. Traffic was lighter, cars were slower, and a pedestrian could weave through lanes with a reasonable expectation of making it to the other side.
But times have changed radically. The sheer volume of vehicles on our roads has exploded, and despite posted speed limits, drivers are moving faster than ever on modern stretches of asphalt.
Yet, while our vehicles and speeds have evolved into the 21st century, the pedestrian mindset remains stubbornly stuck in the past. Crossing a modern highway on foot shouldn’t even be a passing thought. It’s no longer a risky shortcut; it’s a suicide mission.
THE WALKOVER PARADOX
Whenever these tragedies occur, the public instantly defaults to its favourite pastime: blaming the authorities. “We need more infrastructure!” the commentators cry. But the reality on the ground completely obliterates that excuse.
Over the last decade, successive governments have spent millions of taxpayers’ dollars erecting massive pedestrian walkovers at major bottlenecks across the country. Yet, we are continually plagued by horrific stories of citizens being mowed down by oncoming traffic directly beneath, or mere feet away from a perfectly safe, vacant walkover.
THE BRUTAL REALITY
No amount of government spending can save a pedestrian who values a two-minute shortcut over their own survival.
Infrastructure is useless if the collective mindset refuses to use it.
We love to point fingers at the state for everything from potholes to public health, but the blame for this specific epidemic lies squarely on the shoulders of the individuals making the choice to step off the pavement. The mindset must change. Highway crossing must be completely erased as an option from our collective consciousness. No exceptions, no shortcuts, no “just this once.”
WHERE THE AUTHORITIES MUST STEP UP
This doesn’t mean the government gets a completely free pass. While we don’t necessarily need to criminalise wandering pedestrians, our highway systems need to be urgently retrofitted to protect people from their own bad choices—and to protect innocent drivers from life-altering trauma.
The glaring flaw in our current infrastructure is that most of our major highways are entirely open-access on the margins. There are miles of roadway with absolutely no guardrails, barriers, or dense chain-link fencing on the shoulders. This open layout actively invites pedestrians to
wander near the fast lanes and make it far too easy to attempt a dash across the blacktop.
This lack of physical containment is a failure of road quality that punishes everyone. When a pedestrian steps into the highway, they aren’t just risking their own life—they are jeopardising the lives of drivers who are forced to swerve at high speeds, risking catastrophic multi-car pileups.
It is time for the authorities to treat our highways like the high-speed arteries they are. We need continuous, unclimbable median barriers and perimeter fencing that physically prevent pedestrian access.
Until we combine unforgiving physical barriers with a drastic shift away from our third-world road mentality, the asphalt will continue to claim lives. The choice is ours: change the mindset, or keep counting the bodies.
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