Positive response to Papine traffic lights

Chad Bryan, Gleaner Writer

The traffic lights recently installed in Papine, St Andrew, at the end of Hope Road close to the main gate of the University of Technology, Jamaica, have been in operation to deal with the increased traffic now schools have been reopened.

Motorists and pedestrians are still getting accustomed to the changes in road usage, said manager of Communications and Customer Service at the National Works Agency, Stephen Shaw.

The heavily trafficked intersection is key to getting to and from a number of academic institutions in the area. Among these are the HEART Trust/NTA facility on Gordon Town Road and the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus (UWI). It also forms part of the route necessary in getting to the University Hospital of the West Indies', main gate.

"The system is functioning in a fair manner. We are still in that phase where people are getting acquainted with the changes. The police have been out there assisting through this phase as well," Shaw said.

Prior to the implementation of the traffic lights, Shaw pointed out that there had been numerous complainants from people who traverse the area regularly. "There were complainants from a wide cross-section of people, including visitors to the hospital, UWI campus and ordinary folks," he pointed out.

However, Shaw acknowledged that since the traffic lights have been implemented, the response has been good. "We have received positive feedback overall from motorists. There are some things we need to tweak in order to make the experience better. We, for example intend to have a functional left-turning lane from Golding Avenue on to Old Hope Road," Shaw mentioned.