Vice President of the Barbados Cycling Union (BCU), Livingston ‘Livvy’ Headley.
A leader of a local cycling organisation has coordinated a campaign to sensitise Barbadians about road safety and highlight the cyclists who have lost their lives on the roads of this country. This as the island records the third death of a cyclist in two months.
Vice President of the Barbados Cycling Union (BCU), Livingston "Livvy" Headley, revealed this to The Barbados Advocate on Tuesday.
In early March, Headley, an experienced cyclist, and his colleagues collaborated to create a short video and shared it on social media. At the end of the video, the names of cyclists who have died recently are displayed.
On Monday, 21-year-old Ritre Alleyne became the latest cyclist to die after colliding with a car. Melanie Watts, who was 36 years old, died on March 12 after colliding with a vehicle. Well-known cricketer, Ezra Moseley, died after a similar incident on February 6. Alleyne’s death marks the third cyclist death for 2021. Two of these three fatalities occurred on a section of the highway.
Reckless drivers
Headley told The Barbados Advocate that since COVID-19, with less traffic on the roads, motorists are driving faster and more recklessly. He proposed that cyclists, bicyclists, and walkers should be given the last Sunday of the month to exercise on a closed-off stretch of the Mighty Grynner highway.
As one of the leaders of the umbrella body for all cycling in Barbados, Headley believes that more awareness is necessary to mitigate the current problem.
The BCU Vice President also disclosed that fellow cyclist, Randy Licorish, will help memorialise the deaths of local cyclists by riding (one lap for each victim) around Barbados.
Headley added that he has had discussions with the Minister of Transportation, Works and Water Resources, Ian Edghill-Gooding; President of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA), Sharmane Roland-Bowen; and local biking groups about addressing the current issue of road safety and the safety of cyclists on the roads.
He suggested that in the case of motorists and transport board operators of the quieter electric buses, providing some signal like tooting of a horn once can let the cyclist know that they are there.