Every Sunday night, like clockwork, between 10:00pm and 11:00pm it begins. You can’t go to sleep until the noise ceases.
Depending on your proximity to this event, you can’t hear yourself speak or even think.
I am referring to the stream of motorcycles which speed recklessly down West Bay Street, from west to east, with no mufflers to dampen the noise and no regard for safety, let alone neighbourhood tranquility.
The police response – are you ready for this – is that they are hampered in catching these perpetrators because the motorcycles drive too fast to catch. The police say that there have been too many pursuit accidents. So the noise polluters have free reign, every Sunday night, for years now.
Here’s a suggestion. It’s called a radio. Most police vehicles in advanced countries have one installed.
One patrol car detects the violation and then radios another patrol car further down the road to set up a blockade or barricade; if not to catch the perpetrator, then at least to slow the motorcycle traffic down, stop the bikes and issue citations for missing or illegally modified mufflers. Short on law enforcement funding?
Then how about a cop on a bike with a radio at one location and another cop with a few barricades at the other location.
No vehicular expenditure involved.
Much of the murder, mayhem and general law breaking on this island takes place between sunset and sunrise. So here’s another suggestion.
Staff the police departments to properly deal with the level of crime as well as the time of day in which it is committed – at night – instead of during banker’s hours.
K VOLODZKO
Nassau, Bahamas
May, 2011
