Idaho, USA. Ngemuva kokubulawa kwendodakazi yakhe ngesikhathi imoto ishayisa unogada ngo-2016, uSteve Amers wakwenza umgomo wakhe ukuhlonipha inkumbulo yakhe ngokuhlola imigwaqo yonogada e-United States. Ngaphansi kwengcindezi evela ku-Ames, uMnyango WezokuThutha e-Idaho uthe ubheka izinkulungwane zemigwaqo yonogada esifundazweni ukuze iphephe.
NgoNovemba 1, 2016, u-Aimers washonelwa yindodakazi yakhe eneminyaka engu-17 ubudala, u-Hannah Aimers, lapho imoto yakhe ishayisa ukuphela kwendawo yonogada eTennessee. Unogada wabethela imoto yakhe wabe eseyibethela.
U-Ames wayazi ukuthi kukhona okungalungile, ngakho wamangalela umenzi phezu komklamo. Uthe leli cala “lifinyelele esiphethweni esigculisayo”. (Amarekhodi asenkantolo akhombisa ukuthi abukho ubufakazi bokuthi ucingo olushayise imoto kaHana lwalufakwe ngendlela engafanele.)
“Ngifuna ukwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi akekho umuntu ofana nomuntu engivuka naye nsuku zonke ngoba ngingumzali wengane engasekho ekhubazekile ngenxa yothango,” kusho u-Ames.
Ukhulume nosopolitiki nabaholi bezokuthutha e-US ukuze badonse amehlo ezindaweni ezibiyelwe okungenzeka azifakwanga ngendlela. Ezinye zazo zibizwa “ngezithango zaseFrankenstein” ngenxa yokuthi ziyizingosi ezakhiwe ngengxube yezingxenye u-Ames athi zakha izilo emigwaqweni yethu. Uthole ezinye izinsimbi ezifakwe zibheke phansi, emuva, zinamabhawodi angekho noma angalungile.
Injongo yasekuqaleni yezithiyo kwakuwukuvikela abantu ekusheleleni ezingoxweni, ekushayweni ezihlahleni noma emabhulohweni, noma ekushayeleni emifuleni.
Ngokusho kwe-Federal Highway Administration, imigoqo emunca amandla "inekhanda elithukile" elislayida phezu komgoqo lapho ishayisa imoto.
Imoto ibikwazi ukushayisa umgoqo mathupha kanye nekhanda elishayisayo lawenza lacaba umgoqo wase uliqondisa kabusha kude nemoto kuze kube yilapho imoto ima. Uma imoto ishaya ama-rails nge-engeli, ikhanda liphinde lichoboze i- guardrail, lenze imoto ihambe kancane ngemuva kwezinsimbi.
Uma kungenzeki, i- guardrail ingase ibhoboze imoto - ifulege elibomvu lika-Ames, njengoba abakhiqizi be-Guardrail bexwayisa ngokuxuba izingxenye ukugwema ukulimala okubi noma ukufa, kodwa lokho ngeke kwenzeke.
I-Trinity Highway Products, manje eyaziwa ngokuthi i-Valtir, ithe ukwehluleka ukulandela izexwayiso zezingxenye ezixubile kungase kubangele “ukulimala okungathi sína noma ukufa uma imoto ihileleka ekushayisaneni nesistimu engagunyazwanga i-Federal Highway Administration (FHA)”.
Izindinganiso zokugada zoMnyango Wezokuthutha we-Idaho (ITD) nazo zidinga ukuthi abasebenzi bafake ama-guardrails ngokuhambisana nemiyalelo yomkhiqizi. Lawa masistimu ahlolwe ukuphahlazeka futhi agunyazwa yi-Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
Kepha ngemuva kokucwaninga ngokucophelela, u-Ames uthe uthole “izithiyo zesitayela sikaFrankenstein” ezingama-28 eduze kwe-Interstate 84 e-Idaho kuphela. Ngokusho kuka-Ames, ucingo oluseduze neBoise Outlet Mall lufakwe ngendlela engafanele. I-Guardrail eCaldwell, eqhele ngamamayela ambalwa entshonalanga ye-Interstate 84, ingenye yezindawo zokuqapha ezimbi kakhulu ezake zabonwa u-Aimers.
“Inkinga yase-Idaho inkulu kakhulu futhi iyingozi,” kusho u-Ames. “Ngaqala ukuqaphela amasampula amasokhethi womkhiqizi othile afakwe nezinsimbi zomunye umenzi. Ngabona inqwaba yeZiqu-zintathu ezivaliwe lapho umzila wesitimela wesibili wawufakwe ubheke phansi. Lapho ngiqala ukukubona lokhu futhi ngiphinde ngikubone, ngabona ukuthi lokhu kubi ngempela.”
Ngokusho kwamarekhodi e-ITD, abantu abane e-Idaho bashona phakathi kuka-2017 no-2021 ngesikhathi imoto ishayisa umngcele, kodwa i-ITD ithe abukho ubufakazi bezingozi noma imibiko yamaphoyisa yokuthi umgoqo ngokwawo yimbangela yokufa kwabo.
“Uma umuntu enza amaphutha amaningi kangaka, asinakho ukuhlolwa, asinaso i-ITD, akukho ukuqeqeshwa kwabafakayo nosonkontileka. Kuyiphutha elibiza kakhulu ngoba sikhuluma ngezinhlelo zokubiya ezibizayo,” kusho u-Eimers. “Kufanele siqinisekise ukuthi lo mshini, othengwa ngentela kahulumeni noma ngosizo lukahulumeni, ufakwe ngendlela efanele. Ngaphandle kwalokho, sidla amashumi ezigidi zamaRandi minyaka yonke futhi sidale izingozi emigwaqeni.”
Wenzani-ke u-Ames? Ucindezele uMnyango Wezokuthutha wase-Idaho ukuthi uhlole zonke izikhungo zokubiya esifundazweni. I-ITD iveze ukuthi ibilalele.
IMenenja yezokuXhumana kwa-ITD uJohn Tomlinson uthe uMnyango njengamanje wenza uhlu lwazo zonke izinhlelo zokubiya ezweni lonke.
“Sifuna ukwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi zifakwe ngendlela efanele, ukuthi ziphephile,” kusho uTomlinson. “Njalo uma konakele ekugcineni kwe- guardrail siyabheka ukuthi zifakwe ngendlela efanele, uma kukhona umonakalo siwulungise ngokushesha. Sifuna ukukulungisa. Sifuna ukwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi zivikeleke ngendlela efanele.”
Ngo-Okthoba, izisebenzi zaqala ukumba imigodi engaphansi kuka-10,000 ehlakazekile ezindaweni ezingaphezu kwamamayela angu-900 emigwaqweni kahulumeni, esho.
U-Tomlinson wengeze ngokuthi, “Sizoqinisekisa ukuthi umuntu wethu onakekela isondlo unemigudu efanele yokuxhumana ukuze adlulisele lokhu kubantu abalungisayo, osonkontileka nabo bonke abanye ngoba sifuna kuphephe.”
I-Meridian's RailCo LLC inenkontileka ye-ITD ukuze ifake futhi inakekele izinsimbi e-Idaho. Umnikazi weRailCo uKevin Wade uthe izingxenye zikajantshi waseFrankenstein bezingahle zixutshwe noma zifakwe ngokungalungile ukube i-ITD ayizange ihlole umsebenzi wokulungisa wezisebenzi zabo.
Ebuzwa ukuthi kungani benze iphutha ngesikhathi befaka noma belungisa ucingo, uTomlinson uthe kungenzeka ukuthi kungenxa yokusalela emuva kwezinto.
Ukuphenya izinkulungwane zothango futhi ukwazi ukuzilungisa kuthatha isikhathi nemali. I-ITD ngeke yazi izindleko zokulungisa kuze kuqedwe ukufakwa kwempahla.
“Kufanele siqinisekise ukuthi sinemali eyanele yalokhu,” kusho uTomlinson. "Kodwa kubalulekile - uma ibulala noma ilimaze kabi abantu, senza zonke izinguquko ezidingekayo."
U-Tomlinson wengeze ngokuthi bayazazi ezinye “izikhungo zamagatsha” “abafuna ukuzilungisa” futhi bazoqhubeka nokusungula lonke uhlelo lomgwaqo omkhulu wesifundazwe ezinyangeni ezizayo.
Uphinde wathi bebengazi ukuthi lezi zindlela zokwelapha zokugcina ngeke zisebenze kahle ngesikhathi sengozi.
I-KTVB ithinte u-Idaho Gov. Brad Little mayelana nalokhu. Unobhala wakhe wezindaba, uMadison Hardy, uthe u-Little usebenzisana nesiShayamthetho ukulungisa izikhala zokuphepha ngoxhaso lwezimali zokuthutha.
"Ukuthuthukisa ukuphepha nokuchuma kwama-Idahoans kuseseqhulwini kuMbusi Omncane, futhi izinto ezibalulekile zakhe ngomthetho ka-2023 zifaka imali engaphezu kwesigidigidi esisodwa semali entsha neqhubekayo yezokuphepha," kubhala uHardy ku-imeyili.
Okokugcina, u-Ames uzoqhubeka nokusebenzisana nezishayamthetho kanye noMnyango wezokuThutha ukuze ahloniphe indodakazi yakhe, ahlole uthango, abize noma ngubani ongasiza.
U-Ames ubengafuni nje ukuxazulula inkinga yezithiyo eziyingozi, ubefuna ukuguqula isiko langaphakathi lomnyango wezokuthutha, enze ukuphepha kube yinto ehamba phambili. Usebenzela ukuthola isiqondiso esicacile, esibumbene esivela eminyangweni yezokuthutha yezwe, i-FHA, nabakhiqizi bokubiya. Usebenzela futhi ukuthola abakhiqizi ukuthi bengeze “lolu hlangothi phezulu” noma amalebula anombala ezinhlelweni zabo.
“Ngicela ningavumeli imindeni yase-Idaho ifane nami,” kusho u-Ames. Akufanele uvumele abantu bafe e-Idaho.
Isikhathi sokuthumela: Jul-24-2023