Road safety is important. Nobody can deny that. Every resident of Curaçao wants fewer accidents, safer neighborhoods, and more protection for drivers, pedestrians, and children. But the growing number of speed bumps suddenly appearing across major roads in Bandabou raises an important question: are the authorities truly solving the problem, or are they simply placing obstacles on top of already failing infrastructure?
In recent months, Bandabou (western side of the island) has seen an explosion of newly installed speed bumps, many of them on main roads used daily by ambulances, police vehicles, firefighters, public transportation, workers, and residents trying simply to get from one place to another. Some of these speed bumps are excessively high, poorly marked, badly positioned, or installed on roads already filled with potholes and deteriorating asphalt.
That is not proper infrastructure planning. That is improvisation.
A speed bump should never become a substitute for real road maintenance or professional traffic engineering. Yet that increasingly seems to be what is happening.
The situation becomes even more concerning when basic safety standards are missing. On several roads there are no warning signs alerting drivers that a speed bump is ahead. At night, poor lighting makes the situation even more dangerous. Drivers unfamiliar with the road can suddenly encounter an unmarked obstacle, potentially causing accidents, vehicle damage, or loss of control.
And while ordinary drivers already struggle with these conditions, the consequences for emergency services are even more serious.
Ambulances transporting patients cannot afford unnecessary delays caused by oversized or badly installed speed bumps. Firefighters and police officers responding to emergencies need clear and efficient access routes. A patient suffering a heart attack, stroke, or severe injury does not have extra minutes to lose because emergency vehicles are forced to slow down repeatedly over poorly designed traffic obstacles.
Road safety requires intelligence, balance, and professionalism.
If there are intersections where accidents happen frequently, then authorities should implement long-term solutions such as professionally engineered raised crossings, improved lighting, proper traffic signage, clearer road markings, pedestrian protection measures, and better traffic enforcement. Above all, roads themselves must first be repaired properly before additional obstacles are added.
Bandabou residents should not be expected to accept mediocrity while other parts of Curaçao receive better infrastructure standards and more professional urban planning.
For too long, Bandabou has often felt like an afterthought when it comes to public investment. Residents deserve the same quality roads, the same safety standards, and the same level of attention as the rest of the island.
The frustration now being expressed by residents is not opposition to road safety itself. It is opposition to poor execution and unequal treatment.
Curaçao cannot continue solving infrastructure problems with temporary fixes while ignoring the deeper structural issues underneath. Potholes, deteriorating roads, poor lighting, weak maintenance, and inadequate traffic planning cannot simply be covered up by adding more speed bumps.
Bandabou deserves better.
The authorities should listen carefully to the concerns now being raised and work toward durable, professional, and modern traffic solutions that truly improve safety without sacrificing mobility, emergency response capability, or quality of life.
Doing things correctly is not too much to ask.