Safety with Maracas lights

THE EDITOR: Almost 40 years ago when I was a teenager, my sister was robbed at Columbus Bay.

The area was dark but we had a flashlight which my sister and a male friend used to search for keys she dropped.

We were there for about ten minutes and miraculously recovered the keys.

But as my sister was about to get into the car, a man ran up to her from the direction of the bay and grabbed her purse.

Our friend tried to run after him but it was so dark we did not see in what direction he escaped and we were just so scared we decided to leave immediately.

That memory surfaced after seeing the photos of the new parking lot at Maracas Beach.

Not only is the space properly paved but there is extensive lighting which can really protect against night-time assailants.

I think all of the public beaches in the country should be well lit. If that were so many years ago, we may not have experienced such a frightful incident.

While I am not advocating that people make poor decisions regarding their safety, it is a very positive move on the part of the Ministry of Works and Transport to ensure adequate lighting is in place at Maracas Beach, especially now when crime is so much more rampant.

JOAN TAYLOR via e-mail