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Fence theft, unfair motorists frustrate Highway 2000 operators
Alicia Dunkley-Willis
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
TRANSJAMAICAN Highway Limited says it is finding it difficult to keep up with the frequency of breaches and theft of its fencing along Highway 2000.
The Toll Authority, in its annual report for 2011-2012 tabled in Parliament last week, said while the operator "attempts to repair or replace the fence as quickly as possible, the rate at which the fence is being stolen or damaged is too high to be met with immediate repairs".
Motorists using the Portmore leg of Highway 2000. (OBSERVER FILE PHOTO)
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As such it said "the operator resorted to replacing stolen fence with barbed wire, which is a less desirable commodity". The report said fire has also played a role in damaging some sections of the fence during the year.
In the meantime, the Toll Authority said it is "severely concerned with motorists practising evasive tactics in order to bypass the toll plazas and therefore the tolls".
"The practice is to travel in the opposite direction of traffic of the entrance or exit ramps to avoid the toll plazas. This has caused a number of accidents over the years, some of which have been severe," the authority complained in its report.
The most recent recorded accident of this nature occurred in 2011 when a truck, travelling eastbound on the Vineyards leg, attempted to turn up the Freetown entrance ramp causing a vehicle that was also travelling eastbound to collide with it. There was one fatality in that collision.
As part of measures to stop the practice, Transport Minister Dr Omar Davies this year moved a motion to allow for the use of tyre shredders on slip roads leading onto the highway to prevent motorists going in the wrong direction to avoid paying the toll.
Drafting instructions for regulations were submitted to the office of the Chief Parliamentary Council and were received and amended on several occasions.
In the meantime, the authority said though the total number of collisions for the year 2011/2012 fell by 22 per cent when compared to the previous year, there was an increase in the number of major accidents from 137 to 145 and a corresponding reduction in minor collisions from a total of 143 to 73.
Meanwhile, it says animals and pedestrians entering the corridor via these breaches are also a point of concern.
And the authority says while the police continue to provide general policing to the toll roads with intense coverage of the areas identified as the trouble spots, during the year there were periods when their effectiveness waned due to a communication breakdown between the police and the toll road stakeholders.
It said this was "due to constant shuffling of officers and limited resources in terms of vehicles and available officers, which also had a negative impact on the police's effectiveness".
However, it noted that there was a marked improvement in the latter part of the year due to the involvement of the Police High Command, which secured a dedicated team and ensured constant contacts within the traffic unit.
The Jamaican toll roads currently comprise two distinct sections — Mandela Highway to Sandy Bay, approximately 33 kilometres, and Marcus Garvey Drive to Portmore, an approximately six-kilometre stretch.
The toll road network was recently expanded with the opening of the leg of Highway 2000 from Sandy Bay to May Pen. Furthermore, the recently concluded agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company will lead to the completion of the North-South leg over a three-year period, with the Mount Rosser bypass being completed within 12 months.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2TvvT2zf5
Alicia Dunkley-Willis
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
TRANSJAMAICAN Highway Limited says it is finding it difficult to keep up with the frequency of breaches and theft of its fencing along Highway 2000.
The Toll Authority, in its annual report for 2011-2012 tabled in Parliament last week, said while the operator "attempts to repair or replace the fence as quickly as possible, the rate at which the fence is being stolen or damaged is too high to be met with immediate repairs".
Motorists using the Portmore leg of Highway 2000. (OBSERVER FILE PHOTO) 1/1 As such it said "the operator resorted to replacing stolen fence with barbed wire, which is a less desirable commodity". The report said fire has also played a role in damaging some sections of the fence during the year.
In the meantime, the Toll Authority said it is "severely concerned with motorists practising evasive tactics in order to bypass the toll plazas and therefore the tolls".
"The practice is to travel in the opposite direction of traffic of the entrance or exit ramps to avoid the toll plazas. This has caused a number of accidents over the years, some of which have been severe," the authority complained in its report.
The most recent recorded accident of this nature occurred in 2011 when a truck, travelling eastbound on the Vineyards leg, attempted to turn up the Freetown entrance ramp causing a vehicle that was also travelling eastbound to collide with it. There was one fatality in that collision.
As part of measures to stop the practice, Transport Minister Dr Omar Davies this year moved a motion to allow for the use of tyre shredders on slip roads leading onto the highway to prevent motorists going in the wrong direction to avoid paying the toll.
Drafting instructions for regulations were submitted to the office of the Chief Parliamentary Council and were received and amended on several occasions.
In the meantime, the authority said though the total number of collisions for the year 2011/2012 fell by 22 per cent when compared to the previous year, there was an increase in the number of major accidents from 137 to 145 and a corresponding reduction in minor collisions from a total of 143 to 73.
Meanwhile, it says animals and pedestrians entering the corridor via these breaches are also a point of concern.
And the authority says while the police continue to provide general policing to the toll roads with intense coverage of the areas identified as the trouble spots, during the year there were periods when their effectiveness waned due to a communication breakdown between the police and the toll road stakeholders.
It said this was "due to constant shuffling of officers and limited resources in terms of vehicles and available officers, which also had a negative impact on the police's effectiveness".
However, it noted that there was a marked improvement in the latter part of the year due to the involvement of the Police High Command, which secured a dedicated team and ensured constant contacts within the traffic unit.
The Jamaican toll roads currently comprise two distinct sections — Mandela Highway to Sandy Bay, approximately 33 kilometres, and Marcus Garvey Drive to Portmore, an approximately six-kilometre stretch.
The toll road network was recently expanded with the opening of the leg of Highway 2000 from Sandy Bay to May Pen. Furthermore, the recently concluded agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company will lead to the completion of the North-South leg over a three-year period, with the Mount Rosser bypass being completed within 12 months.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2TvvT2zf5
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