The Tribune

THE upkeep of roads in New Providence has been a sore point for public works officials in recent months as The Tribune’s “Fix My Street” campaign has highlighted scores of potholes and unrepaired surfaces on behalf of frustrated motorists.

On Friday, Gavin Lloyd was left stranded after an uncovered East Bay Street drain cover took out his left-front tyre and rim said he could no longer quietly sit back as “poor street conditions become the norm”.

Mr Lloyd, an entrepreneur, said he has had enough, claiming that his anger is not caused by the damage inflicted on his car but with the possibilities he faced while behind the wheel as he hit the pothole.

“I could have killed someone,” Mr Lloyd said. “I could have killed the driver in the other lane, I could have killed someone walking on the sidewalk ... even myself. That is what gets me with this situation because if someone had died today we would have heard so much about fixing the damn hole then. Why not do it now?

“I wasn’t speeding, I wasn’t driving recklessly. None of that. But if something had happened, they would have gone on for months about how my accident was about everything but the road.”

Shortly after 10am, Mr Lloyd was on his way to a meeting and struck the manhole in an unrepaired part of the road just west of the old Royal Bahamas Marine Base. Appalled by the situation, Mr Lloyd walked a block to The Tribune offices to vent his anger.

“I mean we are in a modern country,” he said. “Why in the hell is it so difficult for our government to ensure that when someone digs up a hole, they don’t leave until it is closed, repaved and ready for use. This is sad.”