EDITORIAL | Traffic jams and viable alternate routes for Old Harbour

Nearly five hours in traffic, due to this accident, brought economic activities in Old Harbour to a grinding halt. Our lack of proper detailed research into such incidents will make it almost impossible to ascertain its effect during those 270 minutes on that day. However, it is safe to argue the economy of Old Harbour lost a few millions. Think about it: an accident that occurred about 7:30 in the morning disrupted normal traffic flow and commerce until around midday because there are no viable alternate routes. Think about the number of shops, supermarkets, businesses, medical appointments, job interviews, etcetera, impacted during that time of the morning as long queues either side of the crash site stretched beyond six miles. The implementation of a spatial plan cannot come too soon for Old Harbour given its rapid development. For sure if such a master plan was in place, proper alternate routes parallel to Old Harbour Road would have been in place. In the absence of such we the people suffer in every way possible.

There is at least one existing road – the Gutters to Old Harbour Bay via Lloyd's Pen – that the authorities should give immediate attention in terms of transforming that network into a primary thoroughfare especially since we now know, according to Mayor Norman Scott, that 15,000 new houses will be built here within the years ahead.

At the turn of the new century we were made to believe that Highway 2000 was the saviour to Old Harbour’s congestion. It has not. What Highway 2000 has achieved is decrease travel time between towns along the south coast and Kingston, the nation's capital city. The headache to get around this southwest St Catherine township to do simple things like going to church on a Saturday or shopping at the market and supermarkets is about to cause many of its over 50,000 inhabitants to experience cerebrovascular accident.

Despite the existence of Highway 2000, many of us can recall when a truck laden with lumber overturned near Gordon Wood Lane in June 2013. It happened about 2:00 pm and even after eight o'clock - six hours later – residents were stuck in traffic as far as McCook Pen and Chedwin Park. At the other end traffic had backed up to the toll road on South Street, while some people walked from Bodles, situated at the west end of the town, into the town square.

Two years ago, one December, a truck crashed after hitting a pothole on East Street near the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This was about six o'clock in the evening on a Saturday too at that. Five hours later traffic pile up was several miles from all four sides of the town centre.

To ease the growing traffic crisis Old Harbour News is also putting forward this suggestion: that a new road is created north of Old Harbour Road, from Gutters to Colbeck. For reference and particularly for those with knowledge of the geography of the corporate area, this new route would be the equivalent to Perkins Boulevard which runs parallel with Washington Boulevard. Existing roads such as Thetford and Wellside Lane as well as Orange and Sweetsop lanes must be connected to this new road from Gutters that would start from Sugar Way in Island Farm.
It's certainly an ambitious venture that will cost taxpayers a lot of money, but that's what the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank would call sustainable development planning. If we are to realize what should be a development goal for Old Harbour traffic accidents like last Thursday will have very little, if any, impact on the local economy.

We can talk until the cows come home about people need to drive responsibly and proper road maintenance. The fact is accidents do happen. How do we ensure that whenever there is a major accident such as the ones mentioned do not affect people going about  their business is also of significant importance.

The time to act is now or suffer the consequences of our short-sightedness.