Tourism David Dodwell yesterday told The Royal Gazette .

Commenting on a recent Reuters news report that said visitors -- particularly those between the ages of 50 and 59 years old -- were five times more likely to be involved in accidents while riding around the Island on scooters, Mr.

Dodwell said he was not surprised by the statistic.

"Mopeds are very popular. They've been around since the 1940s but not everybody is experienced on them so I admit we've got a challenge here,'' he said.

Education and training for the visitor are only part of the solution.

Bermudians, said Mr. Dodwell, have also got to become more conscious of the challenges facing newcomers to the roads.

Longer term and more far-reaching solutions should also be examined by some type of transport commission he added.

"For example we could reinstitute the Railway Trail, turn it into a mini-vehicle type of throughway, or we could designate some roads as visitor roads. We could also look at water transport, something we don't utilise enough here,'' he speculated.

In the interim Mr. Dodwell acknowledged Government had an ethical obligation to ensure visitor safety and said facilities, such as Oleander Cycle's Southampton Parish training track, was one way the livery cycle industry could help to ensure that responsibility was met.

David Dodwell