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Commissioner beefs up patrols in Fogagogo to crack down on speeders

Police Commissioner Le’i Sonny Thompson

Police Commissioner Le’i Sonny Thompson has responded to Tualauta Rep. Larry S. Sanitoa’s request — on behalf of several residents of Fogagogo — for police assistance in patrolling the Fogagogo road more frequently.

“Several residents have reported that many vehicles including buses are constantly speeding through this road,” Sanitoa wrote to Le’i last week. (See Samoa News edition May 29th for details.)

This week, Le’i responded to Sanitoa, saying, “I have already directed the patrol to do so as you requested.”

When the Fono reconvenes next week, Sanitoa said he and his Tualauta colleague, Rep. Sam Meleisea plan to visit Le’i to “share with you our thoughts on the Neighborhood Watch program” for the Fogagogo area and other areas of Tualauta lacking village police and village mayors.

Fogagogo resident Dean Hudson shared with Sanitoa some issues to consider. For example, the Fogagogo road is narrow and has no room on either side and there are no sidewalks so everyone walks in the middle of the road.

“To make this worse in areas, vegetation grows out onto the road making the road even narrower. I know most families do a good job of keeping their road frontages clean but other areas are left overgrown and make it dangerous,” Hudson wrote to Sanitoa. “There are no line markings and no posted speed limits on the road either.”

Furthermore, the trash issue is still there with people dumping off the side of the road despite ASPA helping with the clean-up. And this problem has been reported to the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA).

In response, Sanitoa informed Hudson that residents there have expressed similar stories and issues as well.

While some issues can be mitigated immediately, “there are some which will need a long term plan and funding source, i.e. widening of the road and adding sidewalks, etc,” Sanitoa said.

Sanitoa and Meleisea will be meeting soon to review the list of issues from the residents and discuss the best way forward in addressing them. Sanitoa’s email response to Hudson was copied to several ASG directors, who have also been asked for their help and assistance in the near future.

Other concerns from Fogagogo residents received by Samoa News include signs in the area being vandalized and there are no speed signs posted along the road. And with school out, many students are walking up and down the road, causing problems.