As Barbados prepares to welcome students back for a new academic term, a collaborative road safety partnership between local insurer Trident Insurance and the Ministry of Transport and Works is kicking off targeted improvements to high-risk pedestrian infrastructure across the island. The first phase of the community-focused project centers on repainting faded pedestrian crosswalks surrounding five major schools: Arthur Smith Primary School, Bay Primary, St Michael School, Luther Thorne Primary School, and Graydon Sealy Secondary School. Following the completion of crosswalk upgrades, work will shift to repairing potholes and addressing other critical road defects along busy Highway 7.
To mark the launch of the initiative, Dr. Romel Springer, Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport and Works, personally joined in repainting a crosswalk along Hastings main road. During the event, Springer emphasized that the project serves as a powerful model for what collaborative action between the public sector and private industry can deliver for national public safety.
“Road safety is not simply a responsibility of government; it is a national priority and a shared responsibility,” Springer stressed. “Every child walking to school, parent accompanying a child, pedestrian using a crossing and driver travelling on Barbados’ roads has a right to expect a safe road environment.” He added that the work extends far beyond fresh paint on asphalt: clearly marked zebra crossings act as a visual warning that prompts motorists to reduce speed, remain alert, and prioritize pedestrian safety, a fundamental protection for all road users.
Under the terms of the partnership, Trident Insurance, a subsidiary of the ANSA McAL Group of Companies, takes on multiple core responsibilities: sourcing all required paint and equipment, surveying and mapping pothole locations across targeted routes, carrying out patching work, and leveraging its corporate communication channels and social media platforms to run public road safety education campaigns. For its part, the Ministry of Transport and Works will provide coordination support, ensure the project aligns with the government’s broader national road maintenance and safety strategies, and integrate the private-sector led work into long-term public infrastructure planning.
Springer noted that the current initiative is only the starting point, with room for significant expansion in the future. If the first phase delivers successful outcomes, the partnership could be extended to add more schools and high-risk pedestrian crossing locations across the island. Longer-term, Springer sees potential to expand the private-sector partnership model to cover a wider range of road safety and infrastructure projects: repainting additional road markings, installing new official road safety signage, rolling out broader safety upgrades around school zones, completing minor drainage repairs, and expanding public outreach campaigns aimed at improving both pedestrian and driver behavior.
“Our objective must be to move from simply repairing roads after problems occur to preventing problems and creating safer roads and road environments from the outset,” Springer explained. He praised Trident Insurance for stepping forward to lead the effort, noting that the project demonstrates strong corporate citizenship and represents a meaningful investment in the future of Barbados, and urged other local businesses and community organizations to follow the company’s example. In closing, he issued a direct appeal to all road users: “slow down, pay attention, respect the zebra crossing and protect our children.”
Tawania Hinds‑Elcock, marketing and external affairs manager for the ANSA McAL Group of Companies, confirmed that the relaunched initiative forms a core part of Trident Insurance’s ongoing corporate social responsibility commitments. The project was first run on a smaller scale in 2023, and the insurer made the decision to expand and relaunch it ahead of the 2024 school term to benefit the broader community. “Trident Insurance, being a good corporate social partner in Barbados, thought that it would be good to relaunch this initiative not just for students who go to the schools, but also for the average person and pedestrians who have to use the road to help enhance road safety on the island,” Hinds‑Elcock said.