People's Report

The good

I must, first of all, congratulate Minister Audley Shaw for his efforts in improving roads in his constituency, especially the Chudleigh to Mile Gully stretch, which has not been repaired for many years. I remember those roads being asphalted more than 50 years ago and the bases were made of stones, not marl. The roads which were built with stones last much longer than the marl-based ones.

Jamaica has no shortage of stones, so I cannot understand the fascination with marl. We hope the quality of the repair on the above-mentioned road is good enough to last as long the original. The white lines now need to be painted to assist older drivers to have safer passage during rainfall and frequent fog which occur in that area, especially at nights.

The bad

Mr. Shaw now needs to turn his attention to the Sedburgh to Spaldings stretch, which is really in a bad shape for such a heavily trafficked road. At the same time, I draw his attention to the parish council road that serves the district of Halifax. I have never seen that road in such a condition, and to think that my father fought the old Parochial Board so long and hard to get that portion of road established.

The ugly

Recently, I had reason to travel the Spaldings to Cave Valley road after a long period of absence. I could not believe this was a road I frequently travelled for several decades. This can only be described as ugly. I do not know who the political representatives have been over the years, but these persons could not keep their jobs if they were employed in the private sector.

It is unbelievable to think that this is the main road to the north coast from that part of the island. The excuse that is often made about our roads is that Jamaica has a lot of rain, as if the rest of the world is a desert.

This leads me to wonder about the effectiveness of the National Works Agency (NWA) in the maintenance of our roads. The old Public Works Department (PWD), which the NWA replaced, did a better job of road maintenance because when they were in charge, roads were in better condition, bad as they were then. Work crews used to go out and do routine maintenance, including the clearing of bushes and conducting new construction and surfacing. They also had a good training school on Industrial Terrace near Tivoli Gardens.

The NWA seems to work on a contract basis, and contracts are necessary even to fill a single pothole. I am not convinced that this is an economic way to spend taxpayers' money, because this system could lead to corruption if managed by people so inclined. The time has come to do a comparative evaluation of the NWA vs the PWD.

I also recall in colonial days when the parish councils had their own road-making equipment painted in green colours.

tasamuels@cwjamaica.com
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Deal with the deplorable road conditions in Ridge, St Elizabeth
Kalehia Johnson, St Elizabeth

I must commend the member of parliament for Ridge, St Elizabeth, because he boasts ownership of approximately five miles of potholes linking the community to Junction, one of the fastest-growing towns in Jamaica.

He has been so kind as not to make any efforts to try to taint the image of the community by adding any asphalt or doing any form of patchwork. He has made sure not to deliver on any of his selfish promises to try fixing the road so as to change the reputation of the community.

In fact, I believe that the mechanic workshops and auto parts stores are quite pleased because business has never been better. The taxi drivers have had to spend thousands of dollars on a weekly basis to get their vehicles suitable for the regular visits from examiners on a Friday.

It would be surely disrespectful to give all the credit to the existing member of parliament, who has only spent four years, as the councillor has been in office for more than 20 years. He comes sightseeing every four years, as it would be unkind of him not to share such a unique situation with his team.

The road is perfect for election campaigning, because it takes hours to traverse the community, which gives him adequate time to meet with citizens. After all, it is his only visit, so he needs to spend as much time as possible.

Though I am grateful to the political representatives, I am requesting that some consideration be given to the road. The citizens are willing to work with you to address the situation.

Come, let us find a way to deal with the deplorable road conditions.

Kalehia86@hotmail.com
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Flat Bridge a recipe for danger
Rohan R. Reid

It is as a concerned Jamaican that I write to express reservations about the continued usage by motorists of the Flat Bridge in its perennially precarious state.

Admittedly not knowing much about the history of the bridge, as far back as I can remember as a young person who would've had to cross the bridge in the company of family or friends, this was always a treacherous exercise, which would involve some level of consternation. I would like to believe that this experience is shared by thousands of motorists and passengers who have to commute across the bridge.

It is easy to understand why every so often we will hear of mishaps or accidents involving the use of the Flat Bridge usually involving larger vehicles. The bridge is unsafe and its continued usage in its present form is a recipe for danger. Not to mention the inability of the bridge to accommodate two-lane traffic and the traffic snarls it oftentimes cause.

How difficult is it for the bridge to be widened, upgraded to add a proper encasing, metal frame or replaced altogether? Why can't the relevant authorities take these initiatives and then charge a toll to recover any associated costs, plus generate additional revenue?

If it is too large an undertaking for the authorities, why not invite investors - whether local or foreign - to do the same?

With our current debt situation, we need to identify practical and reasonable ways to add money to our coffers, even if it means attracting investors who are willing and able to stimulate the economy.

We also need to take terror and insecurity out of commuting. Those types of adventures should be left for amusement parks.

Leveinerom@optonline.net

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Hospital workers must be more caring
C.R

Permit me a chance to highlight something in Jamaica that even our media houses are afraid to really do a genuine investigation of. It has to do with our health sector.

As an asthmatic who has had to seek medical attention at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) on more than one occasion, I wrote to The Gleaner Company once highlighting the poor treatment being meted out to some patients, but it was never published.

Well, last week and on Tuesday, November 29, my mother and a few of her church brethren went to visit a patient at KPH. She was almost in tears when she related how a man was seen in only diapers, lying on a bed without any sheets. Incidentally, he was dressed the same way last week, but a sheet was on the bed.

I am very upset by this type of treatment being given to us, as citizens, and wonder whether or not our nurses and ward assistants care.

I noticed, during my occasional visits to the said hospital, that many of those ladies wearing the pink uniform behave as if they are nurses and often are quite rude to patients.

Some of the doctors, especially the younger ones, are uncaring and spend a lot of time on their BlackBerrys, while the young nurses are always busy doing their own thing.

I know working in the health sector and at KPH can be very taxing and stressful, but I want to remind our doctors and nurses and other workers that sickness is not afraid of anyone. Unless we all die young, we are all going to get old, so we need to show more care.

To all the hard-working medical staff, continue to do your job. Thanks.

chloe-dier@yahoo.com

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