Taxi operators, residents protest deteriorating roads in St Catherine

More than 40 taxi operators withdrew their services and staged a peaceful protest along the Back Pasture main road in St Catherine on Wednesday, as frustration mounts over the deteriorating condition of roads across sections of the parish.

The operators say the state of the roads is not only damaging their vehicles but is also eroding their income, while commuters are being forced to endure delays and, in some cases, abandon plans to travel.

The protest came days after similar concerns were raised by taxi operators and residents in Old Harbour Bay and other sections of Old Harbour, who say the condition of the roads has pushed their operating costs to unsustainable levels.

Recardo Thomas, who operates a route taxi between Spanish Town and Browns Hall, said the problem had persisted for years, with little more than occasional patching being done.

Thomas said the constant damage to his vehicle has left him struggling to meet his family's needs.

"It is the first in 24 years I can't buy everything for back to school because the vehicle taking everything," he said.

He said he is forced to replace front-end parts on a bi-weekly basis because of the condition of the roads, significantly increasing his operating expenses and cutting into the income he would normally use to support his family.

Fellow taxi operator Raymond Abrahams said he is also losing money operating his Toyota Voxy because of the damage caused by the roads.

He said that after owning the vehicle for just one year, he was forced to replace spare parts at a cost of $48,000.

"It cost me over $60,000 per month to replace spare parts because one bushing cost $7,500 and it only last sometime only for one week, so we are feeling the brunt of it," he said.

The protest also affected commuters, with some saying they had to abandon plans to report to work on Wednesday because of a shortage of transportation during peak hours.

The concerns have also been growing in Old Harbour Bay, where taxi operators and residents took to the streets on Tuesday to draw attention to the condition of the roads.

‘Beno’, a taxi operator who services the Old Harbour Bay route, said the roads have become so bad that he is forced to replace front-end components almost every week.

"Every minute I have to change bushings and rack and pinion; tyres and rims bend up every day. The roads are in a deplorable condition [and] they need to fix," he said.

Beno said his expenditure on spare parts and workmanship over a three-month period exceeded $250,000.

"As a man touch your car now is 7, 8 and $10,000 you have to fork out to pay him," he said.

A resident who goes by the alias ‘Mumma Polly’ said the main road leading to Old Harbour Bay has been in a deplorable condition for years and called for urgent intervention.

"According to the MP the councillor can't spend his money," she said, referring to a viral video in which Member of Parliament Everald Warmington was seemingly suggesting that councillors cannot spend his Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

"It seem that all the money they put out for roads in South West St Catherine nothing nah gwaan fi Old Harbour Bay," she added.

Mumma Polly said the escalating cost of maintaining her vehicle eventually forced her to sell it.

She said the frequent damage to the front-end parts made owning the vehicle too expensive.

Councillor for the Old Harbour Bay Division and PNP constituency caretaker for St Catherine South Western, Dr Kurt Waul, said the situation could not be more dire.

"Seven roads were slated to be repaired under the SPARK Programme [Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme] and so far only the Bullet Tree Road was fixed. There was another that was started and stopped and has now become a dust bowl affecting the health of residents," he said.

"Separate and apart from this, the Old Harbour South Division was entirely left off that list despite me protesting on a number of occasions about this neglect," he continued.

Waul said all the roads in the Old Harbour South Division are badly in need of repairs and questioned why the division continues to be neglected.

The SPARK Programme was rolled out to repair 27,000 kilometres of roads, with an allocation of $45 billion.

Waul said, based on his calculations, each division should benefit from just over $170 million in road works.

"In South Western St Catherine, the Bullet Tree Road, which is less than a kilometre, is the only one to benefit so far," he said, while describing the SPARK Programme as "woefully inadequate".

For the taxi operators, however, the issue is more immediate.

They say each day spent navigating the badly damaged roads means another day of mounting repair bills, reduced earnings and increasing pressure on their ability to provide transportation to residents.

With commuters dependent on taxi operators to get to work, school and conduct business, the protesters are warning that the deteriorating roads are no longer merely a transportation issue, but an economic burden being shared by drivers and residents alike.

- Ruddy Mathison

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