‘The road get from bad to worse’

Scores of taxi operators who traverse Lawrence Tavern in St Andrew to Glengoffe in St Catherine withdrew their services yesterday in protest over the deplorable road conditions which they say have become a threat to public safety.

Some residents joined the protest as they claim the intolerable roadways are being used by unscrupulous people to commit crimes.

The Gleaner understands that, recently, a man was tied up, robbed and thrown over a precipice.

Taxi operators, including Adrian Brown, said they have been begging for the intervention of the authorities to fix the roadway.

“The protest is about the road condition in West Rural St Andrew, from Lawrence Tavern to Cassava River Bridge. When you cross that bridge is St Catherine, but we are disgusted with the road on the St Andrew side,” Brown said.

“Dem nah fix the road none at all. Not even a promise we nuh get. The road a get from bad to worse. We withdraw we service from morning because we want dem fi look and see say the road really want fix,” Brown said, adding that they need to hear from the political representatives that something will be done.

He lamented the toll repairs were taking on his pocket

“If it’s even a promise. We want dem see say a nuh joke today. We need the road and a taxi we run every day and di road bad. Every two weeks we have to buy parts and change out front end,” Brown said.

Other taxi operators who were on hand shared the same sentiments.

With the heavy rains in recent times, the taxi operators say the holes on the road surface have got deeper.

“If we nuh get no good talk, we a go withdraw we service tomorrow (today) again. Today we did a peaceful demonstration. Only the councillor come here, Mr John Myers, and Joan Gordon Webley was here too. Dem come and talk to we,” Brown said.

Brown said it would be good to have Member of Parliament for West Rural St Andrew Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn come and see the conditions they are faced with.

Myers, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Lawrence Tavern division, told The Gleaner that the road issue is a longstanding one.

“From the border of my division to Lawrence Tavern, Temple Hall, it’s in a deplorable condition. We know the Government has set out a plan to fix it, but this is an emergency because even when the cars are driving now where I stand and see, they can hardly go. They are dropping in holes and damaging the bumper,” Myers said.

Myers said the route is one that greatly helps constituents move around.

“I really see with them (the protesters). They didn’t block the roads in protest. Right now rain is falling and I don’t know how the commuters are going to manage. The road is bad, bad, bad, bad, really bad, straight into Lawrence Tavern and straight into Temple Hall,” Myers said.

Other motorists told The Gleaner that the condition of the road makes them fearful of driving at night.

“The police stations are out of sight. When trouble tek you, the nearest help is far away. Dem a hold up people at the worst point of the roadway because you have to slow down. They need to fix the road,” a motorist said.

Myers told The Gleaner that he was aware of the public safety implications and the recent robbery and abduction incident.

“The other day I hear a truck crash near the Cassava Bridge… . The whole road want to look after, it can’t patch. What I find out now is that they are holding up people… they hold up a man and take away his car,” Myers said.

Yesterday, the policecobserved the peaceful protest.

Some of the law enforcement personnel were even saying in earshot of The Gleaner that the roads are really in a bad state and were calling for televised media to air the grouses of the motorists.

“Yes, so people can see on the news how bad the road stay,” a policeman said.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com