Three major roads in Suriname – Indira Gandhiweg, Martin Luther Kingweg, and Garnizoenspad – have been flagged as high-risk corridors after local data showed a disproportionately high rate of traffic collisions, including severe and fatal crashes. Now, the country’s Road Safety Institute (Verkeersveiligheidsinstituut, VVI) is launching a comprehensive mapping project to document all accident-prone routes and dangerous intersections across the nation, laying the groundwork for targeted infrastructure and policy interventions to cut crash rates.
Purcy Landveld, VVI’s deputy director for Data, Education and Information, explained that initial analysis of aggregated traffic collision data confirms these three roads require immediate priority attention. The project will use formal blackspot analysis methodology to pinpoint exactly which intersections and road segments carry the highest risk of crashes. The resulting granular, up-to-date data will be shared with the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO), enabling policymakers to direct limited safety improvement resources to the locations where they will deliver the greatest public safety benefit.
Lucretia Beeldstroo, OWRO’s deputy director for Traffic and Mobility, noted that a formal Terms of Reference (TOR) for the mapping and analysis project has already been finalized. An open tender process will soon be launched to select qualified engineering firms to conduct detailed on-site assessments of Indira Gandhiweg, Martin Luther Kingweg, and other high-risk corridors. The assessments will go far beyond evaluating road design and infrastructure: analysts will also study the behavior and movement patterns of all road users, from motorists to pedestrians and cyclists.
As part of the data collection process, surveillance cameras will be installed at high-traffic intersections to capture real-time data on traffic flows and high-risk maneuvers that contribute to collisions. Assessors will also examine a wide range of other contributing factors, including posted speed limits, street lighting quality, road visibility for drivers, road line markings, pedestrian crossing facilities, and right-of-way rules at intersections. Beeldstroo added that preliminary safety upgrades are already underway at multiple accident-prone locations across the country, with workers adding fresh road markings and installing missing or outdated traffic signs. She emphasized that OWRO is moving forward with all feasible improvements within its current budget and authority to reduce preventable traffic deaths and injuries.
VVI leadership stresses that a long-term, systematic approach is non-negotiable to meaningfully reduce the number of traffic injuries and fatalities across Suriname. Road usage patterns are constantly shifting: the national vehicle fleet continues to grow, overall mobility levels are rising, and road user behavior changes over time alongside these shifts. For that reason, VVI argues that all road safety interventions must be rooted in the latest, most accurate local traffic data, rather than outdated assumptions or one-size-fits-all policies.
Landveld emphasized that improving road safety cannot be achieved by a single government agency or organization. Cross-ministerial collaboration and partnerships with additional relevant stakeholders are essential to develop a cohesive, effective national road safety strategy. “That is exactly VVI’s core mission: bring all relevant stakeholders to the table, translate raw traffic data into actionable, concrete improvement measures, and work collectively to build a safer road network for all,” Landveld said.