1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,559 Speaker 1: So we're all keeping a close eye on the roads 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 1: this weekend, and that that's because we are expecting the 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: volumes to increase quite a bit. In fact, I understand 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: that a short while ago, and earlier this afternoon, there 5 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: had been that data that came through that about two 6 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: thousand buses have made their way on the IN one 7 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: Highway towards Moria, and the Transport Department says preliminary data 8 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: already suggests that there's been a reduction in fatal crashes. 9 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: This is in comparison to the same period last year. 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: The department says it's been engaging churches as well during 11 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: this period, and this is for obvious reasons, because we 12 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: know that a lot of the travel that's happening is 13 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: for religious reasons. Minister of Transport Barbara Creasy is on 14 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: the line and she joins us now live Minister, good afternoon, 15 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time. 16 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 2: Good afternoon, and greetings to all your listeners. 17 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: Minista, I just want to start with the data that 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: you've already given. Now, it was interesting for me to 19 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: hear these numbers. I mean, I see that there's a 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: decrease from about three hundred and six fatal crashes to 21 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: about two hundred and fifty five fatal crashes this year. 22 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: But this data is coming before the end of the 23 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: Easter weekend. Is this data that's been collected as preliminary data, 24 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: not necessarily from the entire or in comparison to the 25 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 1: entire weekend. 26 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 2: This data is from the period twenty March to thirtieth 27 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 2: of March, and the decrease is in relation to the 28 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: same period last year. So it's you know, we run 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 2: a special campaign from the Human Rights Day weekend right 30 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 2: through until May Day and we have intensive monitoring on 31 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 2: a week by week basis. So this is where those 32 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 2: statistics come from. 33 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: And Melissa, can we just speak to this partnership that 34 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: you currently have what the churches are you know, I 35 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: understand that you've been engaged in the churches speaking to 36 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: the churches around road safety. Has this been in a 37 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: bit of course to curb and to see a drop 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: in fatal crashes, but also to raise awareness I suppose 39 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: around the use of road worthy vehicles when traveling to 40 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: the churches. 41 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:25,679 Speaker 2: Yes, I let me say at the outset that this 42 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 2: is a continuation of ongoing public education and public campaigning 43 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 2: that we are doing as a department, and obviously at 44 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 2: this time of year there are huge religious services that 45 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 2: are taking place across the country. The most significant volumes 46 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:55,679 Speaker 2: of congregants would obviously be moving northwards to Maria, where 47 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 2: where several million congregants would be gathering. There are big 48 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:09,399 Speaker 2: logistical exercises that take place around these religious observances, including 49 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 2: operations centers, work that happens with bus companies, and we 50 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 2: of course liaise with the faith based organizations so that 51 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 2: we make sure that we have offices available to patrol 52 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,359 Speaker 2: particular interchanges. But in the case of the end one, 53 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 2: we have special operations to make sure that both moving 54 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: into the services and also moving out, there are extensive 55 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 2: traffic calming measures that we take. 56 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: Melissa, you know, I'm sure that a lot of what's 57 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: been happening just around the raising awareness, there's been a 58 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: lot of effort that's been put in. I've been seeing 59 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: a lot of traffic officials on the roads and I'm 60 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: watching it TV screen now and many of you know 61 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: holding traffic police and National Police, traffic police are on 62 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: the roads. But we are still seeing crashes that are happening. 63 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: Just yesterday we saw about five people losing their life 64 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: lives on the in one highway near Mohoong. I mean, 65 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: do we know and do we understand what's still causing this? 66 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: Is it? Is it the the failure to comply or 67 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: is it just the lack of awareness? 68 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 2: You know, it's it's rather behavior. I mean, that terrible 69 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 2: accident that happened outside Moho Pong yesterday is because somebody 70 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 2: did a you bend on a highway. You would think 71 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 2: that we all know that you don't do you benz 72 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 2: on a highway, but unfortunately that's what happened, and it's 73 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 2: it's it's first kind of careless, selfish behavior that that 74 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: is costing lives. 75 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: Can you speak to the number of officials or yes, 76 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,839 Speaker 1: the efforts that there Apartment has been making just in 77 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: terms of increasing visibility and policing on the roads. What 78 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: are we looking like just in terms of a nationwide overview. 79 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 2: Well, what I can tell you is that since the 80 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 2: twentieth of March, we've had three hundred and twenty one 81 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 2: roadblocks across the country. Nearly four hundred thousand vehicles have 82 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 2: been stopped, and we obviously have had all nine hundred 83 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 2: of our National Traffic Police on the roads. We also 84 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 2: have what we call force multiplier programs, and in very 85 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 2: simple terms, what this means is provincial, municipal and national 86 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 2: traffic officers work together on common programs and on dividing 87 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 2: up the country and the most dangerous roads amongst each 88 00:05:55,040 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 2: other so that we have maximum visibility. This weekend, we 89 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 2: have made a special effort to make sure that we 90 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 2: have twenty four to seven policing and what that means is, well, 91 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 2: we'll be running three shifts throughout the Easter weekend so 92 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 2: that there will be police visibility whether it's two o'clock 93 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 2: in the morning or two o'clock in the afternoon. 94 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: And I want to ask you, and I know this 95 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: might be a little maybe an unfair question, you know, 96 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: but do we know what it's going to take to 97 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: get people to comply? Because you're speaking about, you know, 98 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: the lack of lice, people just you know, choosing to 99 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: make a U turn in the middle of a busy highway. 100 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: What's it going to take to get people to listen 101 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: and to comply with the rules of the road. 102 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 2: Contrastant enforcement, obviously, we can't just have enforcement on long weekends, 103 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 2: and this is something that we are working on continually 104 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 2: with prevention and municipal traffic offices. We have to have 105 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 2: consistent enforcement, and of course we have to have consistent 106 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 2: public education. And as you say, you would have seen that, 107 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: you know, just in the public domain, we've got constant advertising. 108 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 2: We're also doing constant public outreach going you know, one 109 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,239 Speaker 2: of the things we've been doing in communities where people 110 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 2: run across highways is literally going door to door and 111 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 2: asking people not to do it and explaining why cars 112 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 2: can't stop when they're traveling on highways even if they 113 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 2: see pedestrians. So I think it's about it's about consistency. Unfortunately, 114 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 2: you know, in a country where there were twelve thousand 115 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 2: road deaths a year, it is an indication that we 116 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 2: have to do more and we have to do more consistently. 117 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: All right, Minister of Transport, Barbara Creasy, thank you so 118 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: much for your time. She's speaking to us about road 119 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: safety during this weekend, and of course it's an important 120 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: conversation that she highlights that they are having with the 121 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: leaders of churches, because the truth is people will listen 122 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: to their church leaders. They'll listen to the bishop or 123 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: the head of their church if they were to say 124 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: and encourage them to use road worthy vehicles, and I 125 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: think that's the message that the Department of Transport is 126 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: trying to get across.