Hanover JFB wants urgent attention to be given to motorcyclists

WESTERN BUREAU:

AS THE voices get louder nationally against the noise pollution being created by motorcyclists, and the number of them involved in criminal activities, the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Hanover Division, has joined the cry for more attention to be paid to that set of motorists, but for a different reason.

According to information out of the Hanover Division of the JFB, of 16 road accidents which occurred in the parish during the month of February, to which the fire service had to respond, 10 involved motorcyclists, with several of those motorcyclists being seriously injured and had to be taken to hospital.

“We have responded to 28 fire calls and 82 medical calls over the period (February), the motorcyclists keep tapping into our resources and it is of concern to us. Of 16 road accidents we have recorded 10 motorcycle crashes over the period and six motor vehicles,” Divisional Head for the Hanover Division of the JFB, Deputy Superintendent Raymond Desouza, told a Hanover Municipal Corporation monthly meeting recently.

Desouza expressed the view that speeding and careless riding are the main causes of the motorcycle accidents occurring across the parish, which, he says, in most cases could be avoided if the riders exhibited more responsibility and are more careful.

“Most of those motorcycle riders are not adopting a responsible approach, neither are they taking the proper precaution for operating those vehicles, and why most of them are being injured so seriously is because they are not wearing the necessary protective gear for operating those motorcycles,” Desouza emphasised.

Mayor of Lucea and Chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation, Sheridan Samuels, reiterated his call for more action to be taken against careless motorcycle riders across the parish, adding that they are a nuisance in more ways than one.

“They (the motorcycle riders) break every possible law on the books on a daily basis. I am sure most of them are not even worthy to be on the road, as they are not licensed to be on our roadways, neither are they insured as required by law,” Samuels argued.

At the January municipal corporation meeting, Samuels also commented on the noise nuisance the motorcycles were making in the communities across the parish, and called on the police then to do what they can to take all the illegal ones off the roadways.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police in charge of the parish, Sharon Beeput, argued that the police have been doing their utmost best with regard to the control of motorcyclists within the parish, as they continue to seize the illegal ones where necessary. She adds that the yard space at the Hanover police headquarters, located on Watson Taylor Drive, is now the holding area for several hundred motorcycles which have been seized over time.

“There is not very much more that we can do as we are doing all we can, and the amount of motorcycles parked at our headquarters speaks for itself,” Beeput stated.

Desouza called for more attention to be paid to these motorcycle operators, with respect to training and licensing, as they are causing quite a strain on the limited resources of the emergency medical services and health services within the parish.