A petition calling for urgent speed-control measures along the Micoud North Highway was rejected in the Senate on Thursday, despite warnings that residents continue to face serious risks while crossing and using the busy roadway.
Opposition Senator Elisha Norbert presented the petition on behalf of Micoud North residents, seeking an immediate road safety assessment and interventions along the stretch from the Ti Rocher gap to the Praslin Bridge. The petition called for measures including pedestrian crossings, speed bumps, warning signs and improved road markings, along with a clear implementation timeline and consultation with residents.
Norbert argued that people routinely cross or walk along the highway to reach schools, bus stops, pharmacies, supermarkets and other essential services, placing pedestrians in direct contact with fast-moving traffic.
“This petition asserts that the failure to implement adequate safety measures along the Micoud North Highway constitutes a breach of these obligations and exposes residents to ongoing and foreseeable harm,” he told the Senate.
His appeal carried added significance this year, with 2026 marking 26 years since a devastating accident along the Micoud Highway in which three schoolchildren from the same family.were killed. They were among a group of five students who were struck by a vehicle while returning home from school.
Norbert said the Ti Rocher-to-Praslin stretch remains a “high-speed zone” despite residential and commercial development along the highway. He pointed to fatal and life-altering crashes along the route, including incidents that have resulted in paralysis and permanent disabilities.
The Opposition Senator also questioned why similar traffic-calming measures have been introduced in communities including Rodney Bay, Aupicon, Marigot, La Ressource and Canaries, but not along the section of highway identified in the petition.
“These interventions demonstrate both the technical feasibility and policy acceptance of such measures as a necessary tool for public safety,” Norbert said, arguing that continued delay in Micoud North raises concerns about unequal treatment and neglect. “For 25 years and more the people of Micoud North have lived with the consequences of inaction. The risks are known, the danger is real, the solutions are available and have been applied elsewhere,” he said.
Norbert ultimately asked that the petition be referred to a select committee of Parliament, which he proposed be called the “Road Safety Committee,” for further consideration.
The request, however, failed to secure the necessary support. “I think the noes have it… the noes have it,” Senate President Alvina Reynolds declared, bringing the petition to an end
