Egeton Newman happy with government’s outstanding traffic ticket offer

President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS), Egeton Newman, is pleased that the government is granting motorists the opportunity to clear their outstanding traffic tickets by January 31.

Newman called the initiative an amnesty and stated that while it would place some taxi operators and other motorists under pressure to find the funds to pay the outstanding fees, the move by the government was expected.

“TODSS has accepted in principle government granting of an amnesty to motorists with outstanding tickets. TODSS has always been asking for the wiping of the slate to accommodate the new Road Traffic Act, therefore, this was expected.

“The major challenge is that persons now have less than 50 days to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay the government as some motorists/operators have in excess of one thousand outstanding tickets, many of which are tickets paid already but have returned as unpaid,” Newman said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Newman called on the government to extend a public education campaign to the public, on the Road Traffic Act, 2018 and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2022, which are slated to be implemented in February.

According to Newman, the government seems to lack interest in the public education campaign and he requested that a public education campaign runs until April, which he claims will benefit the public, including taxi operators.

“It must be clearly noted that the commuting public will have challenges come February 2023 as many drivers will not be able to pay their outstanding traffic tickets.

“We are also making it clear that it will not be business as usual, if the system in which we operate that causes us to have these unwarranted traffic tickets, is not fixed. This is a warning.

“We urge all transport operators who can find a way to address the payment of their outstanding traffic tickets to move quickly to do so in the interest of your investment and the commuting public,” Newman said while indicating that members of the taxi operators sectors will meet shortly to assess the government’s outstanding traffic ticket break.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.