Yet another letter from the Burcei "Road Committee" to make the access roads to the town safer and to urge the resumption of work on the funded and long-tendered road that will connect Burcei to Sinnai and Maracalagonis over a 17-kilometer stretch , lifting the cherry town from its centuries-old isolation. The Committee, signed by Salvatore Malloru, Vittorio Monni, Ignazio Saddi, Francesca Pitzalis, Luigi Meloni, Andrea Lobina, Marco Arrais, Gianluca Mucelli, and Giuseppe Lorrai, has this time written to ANAS, the Metropolitan City, the head of safety, and the Prefect of Cagliari, denouncing a situation that has incredibly dragged on for decades, while the old Eastern Road and the provincial road leading to Burcei are proving increasingly unsafe, as the latest accidents demonstrate.

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The letter:

There are tragedies that should force us, at least for a few days, to stop and reflect. Then, however, too often, weeks pass and everything goes back to normal. On August 2nd, on the old SS 125, near Burranca, a terrible three-car collision claimed the life of a 71-year-old woman. Four people were injured and taken to the hospital. This tragedy once again brought to the forefront the dangerous nature of that road and the need for urgent safety measures. Then, a few days later, another serious accident. A family of tourists leaving for vacation was involved in another accident, leaving four people injured.

Two different episodes, but they inevitably bring us back to the same question: how safe is it today to travel on a road designed and built many decades ago, with traffic and vehicles completely different from those of that time? The issue of road safety cannot be reduced solely to individual responsibility. There is a responsibility that concerns infrastructure. A road built many years ago may have been perfectly suited to the traffic of the time, but become progressively inadequate when more powerful, heavier, faster vehicles—SUVs, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, commercial vehicles, and public and private transport—begin to circulate on the same roadway in ever-increasing numbers. A road designed for a different era cannot be expected to continue to perform the same function without adaptations.

In some sections, the former SS 125 still bears clear signs of a bygone road system, which is now extremely dangerous: narrow lanes, curves, poor visibility, improved road safety and signage, and, above all, a layout that must meet the demands of modern mobility.

Let it be clear, this must not become an alibi for those who drive irresponsibly.

If a driver gets behind the wheel after drinking, he is responsible for his own choice.

If a driver speeds too much, he is responsible for his speed.

If he overtakes recklessly he is responsible for the risk he creates.

But those who are responsible for designing, maintaining, and making roads safe also have their responsibilities.

Safety, in fact, is the result of all these elements: proper behavior by drivers, inspections, prevention, maintenance, and adequate infrastructure. Perhaps this is precisely the point we often forget.

Every time a serious accident occurs, we ask ourselves who was at fault. It's right to do so, because responsibility must always be ascertained. But we should also ask ourselves another question: is that road adequate for the traffic it supports today?

We can't wait until there's a death before talking about safety again.

We cannot wait for safety to always come after the tragedy.

And, at the same time, we cannot consider the idea that an evening out, a dinner, a few too many drinks and the drive home are normal things.

Automobile technology has advanced: engines are more powerful, vehicles are larger, performance is vastly superior, and there are many more of them than when the road was first conceived and built.

Safety isn't just about speed limits and fines. It's also about culture, responsibility, and investment.

The two accidents that occurred this month should serve to ask ourselves what we can all do together—CITIZENS AND INSTITUTIONS—to ensure that next time we don't have to tell the story of other lives lost on the same road.

Because behind every accident there are more than just destroyed vehicles.

There are lives broken and families changed forever.

And when a tragedy can be avoided, we cannot speak of fatality but of the personal RESPONSIBILITY of the drivers and the institutions that failed to comply.

Too many lives lost, too much indifference on the part of the institutions.

We are now tired, embittered, and disappointed by a situation that has dragged on for too long, with institutions deaf to citizens' requests.

We conclude with clear and urgent requests: when will the old SS 125 be made safe?

When will the safety work on the SP 21 continue?

When will construction of the new BURCEI SINNAI MARACALAGONIS provincial road begin?

After more than a quarter century of waiting, broken promises, and delays, we ask the metropolitan city of Cagliari to follow through with concrete dates for the start and completion of the work. Burcei and the land's users can wait no longer.

© Riproduzione riservata