Jamaica's Roads

[msportmore]

Any parish you go to - on any given day - you are dodging pot holes left right and center in Jamaica.

Bouygues Travaux Publics seem to be doing a pretty good job with the higways etc (imo). Why dont we take pattern from them to fix thousands of side streets that are patched up and then destroyed as soon as some heavy rains come?

Mi nuh undastan

Why pay 50 bucks to fix a street every time rains fall rather than pay 200 one time an done?

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

cho!

[RichD]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Originally posted by Ms. Portmore.:
[qb] Why pay 50 bucks to fix a street every time rains fall rather than pay 200 one time an done?

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

cho! [/qb]

yuh nuh know sey dat a di poor man plight....why buy $30 shoes wey last 3 months when yuh can buy $150 shoes which last 3 years....but how a poor man fi gt di $150...him need shoes now and cant wait....`

[djrosen1]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Originally posted by Ms. Portmore.:
[qb]Why pay 50 bucks to fix a street every time rains fall rather than pay 200 one time an done?

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

cho! [/qb]

Same problem on a different scale here in Chicagoland.

Two answers to your question:

1 - There's really no such thing as "done;" there's just "done for now" and "done for a little bit longer." Sometimes it is actually cheaper to do many "done for now"s than it is to do "done for a little bit longer" a couple fewer times. But that's a grain of truth a politician can spin into a whole field.

2 - If you fix the roads every year, then politicians are awarding jobs and contracts every year. If you fix the roads every five years, then politicians are handing out the goodies every five years. Put yourself in the shoes of the politician; which scheme is in YOUR best interest?

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Where the money will come from??
it is all aablut reality.
Rich man build exoensive buildings that last a lifetime. Poor build shelter,that is constantly in need of repair.
Check how much US dollars it cost tp build the few kilometers of highway,and compare it with the dribblings the government spend on the toads.

[Sinco01]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

like RambleOn said ... politics babe .. nutten but

2 - If you fix the roads every year, then politicians are awarding jobs and contracts every year. If you fix the roads every five years, then politicians are handing out the goodies every five years. Put yourself in the shoes of the politician; which scheme is in YOUR best interest?

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[msportmore]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

wah day di people block Passage Fort Drive because NWC dig up di road ova a year now fi lay new pipes an all now nuh bady nuh fix it back yet.

cause dis heap a traffic an buss up tiya an all a dat.

di peeple get fed up an block di road.

pan wan neks stretch a road yu hawt deh inna yu mout top soh till yu come awf a di road because yu nuh stop swerve from pot hole an den swerve again from on comin traffic. dat nuh mek it.

Call Pan di lyricist Tanya

The Other Cheek - Tanya Stephens
Intro:
The people dem seh dem a talk
and nobody nah listen all along
So dem want me to put it
In the form of a song
Cause is like seh, oonu betray we trust
So this is to all of you from all of us

Verse 1
Providing no jobs and
telling us stop the crime
Is like beating a child
and telling him not to cry
With all the highways you a build
and go through
You never build a little avenue
Fi di youths dem earn a buck,
things a run a muck
tell me what the ___
You really think a go happen
If dem enuh earn a buck gun a buss
and none of us
really want that ___ to happen

Yow mistah, you know me nah try fi dis ya
but everything no so criss ya
we jus a look a little help prime ministah


Chorus

Do you expect me to turn
the other cheek
taste my tears and admit defeat
do you expect me to listen
when you speak
You never ever practice what you preach
Do you expect me to still come
out and vote
No matter what happens
we're always broke
and the people seh dem
tired of being poor
a that the emperess a chant
and the lion a roar


Verse 2
Even the richest man haffi go
learn fi tek a stance when
dem realize seh dem no safe
inna dem mansion
is a tough way fi learn seh yuh
no really secure
when the problems of the poor
come kick dung yuh door
the youths dem a get 2000 guns
fi everyone oonu cease
instead of treating the symptoms
why dont you cure the disease?
You know things must really get wicked
When your paycheck is less
than your speeding ticket

mistah, you know we nah try fi dis ya
But everything no so criss sah
we just a beg a little help prime ministah

Chorus
Do you expect me to turn
the other cheek
taste my tears and admit defeat
do you expect me to listen
when you speak
You never ever practice what you prech
Do you expect me to still come
out and vote
No matter what happens
were always broke
and the people seh dem
tired of being poor
a that the emperess a chant
and the lion a roar

Verse

Well we say, money fi run and
it fi run inna bundle
let it go a Rema let it go dung a Jungle
dung a Garden need fi water
right down to the dirt
when last you touch a Maverly?
when last you go Kirk?
Oonu better fire up the oven
oonu need fi start bake
and the Brook Valley man dem need a slice a di cake
well the man dem outa East dem ready fi
put down the gun
a nuh war dem love war
but the food haffi run
Well White Hall and Red Hills road,
you know dem have a little message fi disclose
it goes like dis:

mistah, yuh ego big
yuh mighta think we a dis ya
But everything no so criss sah
we jus a look a little help
prime ministah


Chorus
Do you expect me to turn
the other cheek
taste my tears and admit defeat
do you expect me to listen
when you speak
You never ever practice what you prech
Do you expect me to still come
out and vote
No matter what happens
were always broke
and the people seh dem
tired of being poor
a that the emperess a chant
and the lion a roar

[MsScotchBonnet1]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Can anybody tell me whether the politicians in Jamaica DO ANYTHING AT ALL??

[neutral]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Originally posted by Melanie24:
[qb] Can anybody tell me whether the politicians in Jamaica DO ANYTHING AT ALL?? [/qb]

I`m sure they would like to,but de money naw run too tuff.

It`s always been the way in Jamaica though since I was a likkle bwoy,...yu juss borrow de other fellow`s side of the road if yu no have none.

[Jamaicamiss]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

This the first time in two years that I have seen repairs done in St James. A good amount of potholes have been repaired on the main roads.

That is good because last week I fell into two big potholes at night coming back from Ochie, popped off two hubcaps, and now the car makes funny noises when backing up.

This may only be a temporary solution, but it brings a sigh of relief from a woman with a PHD (pot hole dodger). [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

[Guest]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Roads and political soap operas
Barbara Gloudon
Friday, November 18, 2005


IT WAS INEVITABLE - that the poor condition of roads islandwide, after weeks and months of punishing rains, would lead to a clash. Some may have anticipated that it would be at the local level and indeed, several demonstrations have already taken place in some communities.

This week, roads moved to the national stage of confrontation. On Monday, JLP mayors and councillors ratcheted up the action another notch with a march, intended to culminate in the presentation of letters of protest to the prime minister. The exercise ended in disorder when the mayors and councillors had a difference of opinion with the police in the vicinity of Jamaica House, resulting in the politicians being tear-gassed. This did nothing to improve the mood of the group and it was no surprise that the rumble was continued in the House of Parliament on Tuesday.

The fact that Deputy Speaker OT Williams lost his cool and walked away from his responsibility did not help. (If OT does not want the job, why not ask the prime minister to relieve him of it?) While there were no physical stones to fling (Thank Heavens), there were enough jibes and barbs to go around in Gordon House eliciting condemnation from people outside who have grown tired of seeing the Parliament of the land turned into a tracing yard.

It would appear that our politicians (maybe not all) are neither aware of nor care about the growing disaffection between People and Parliament. The contempt for politicians which is expressed especially by young people, (the voters of the future), should be of concern to SOME at least. It is time for the conscious ones in the House to take a stand.

The fact that Parliament is where differing views contend is no excuse for buffoonery and bad manners. The blame does not lie on one side of the aisle only. and the public is not amused. One gets the impression that some of the antics are staged for the TV camera, but read our lips. it is not funny.

Although the timing of the next general election is constitutionally two years away, it is widely acknowledged that the campaign is already bringing with it increased tribalism. We the public have two choices: a) either to get the politicians to pledge to civility while competing vigorously as is their democratic right or b) to develop a thick skin as we get on with the struggle for survival and wait to record our verdict at the polls. Meantime, reasonableness and civility are rapidly disappearing from our political culture, so prepare for more noisy times ahead.

THE MAYORS AND COUNCILLORS have a point, however. The condition of the island's roads is appalling and growing worse each day. From farm road to suburban avenues, the devastation is widespread. The word "pothole" has taken on new meaning. Even the sturdiest, multi-million, top-of-the-line SUV cringes at the front-end assault. The roads need to be fixed. The situation is not helped by the fact that the rains have not ceased. There have been landslides and blockages in some critical areas again this week, that is, the Bog Walk Gorge and the Junction. The repair bill mounts.

The question of the day is, does the Government have the money to meet the massive repair bill? We've taken to talking in units of billions these days. By all account, we're going to need a whole lot of those to tackle the task. So where is it coming from? Here is where the administration leaves itself open to attack. For whatever reason, it just cannot articulate effectively to get the nation's attention about serious issues.
So it is true that people prefer entertainment to information, but a greater effort at communication still has to be made.

In the madness in the House on Tuesday, the minister of works attempted to draw attention to some of the allocations made for road works in the fiscal years 2004 to 2005. He stated that parish councils received road repair allocations of $2.8 billion in 2003/2004. For 2004/05, $3.6 billion was spent again for parish council roads.

He singled out some parishes to reveal what they had received - St James, $295 million for 2003/04, $369 million for the last financial year. St Mary, got $77 million one year, $110 the next. Clarendon received $170 million, then $253 million. That is a whole heapa "bread" for roads. By yesterday, the minister's revelation served to widen the rift between Central and Local Government as questions were raised by the councillors about the implications for public understanding of how the money was spent.

THERE ARE MANY OTHER QUESTIONS for which answers are required. People want to know if current road-building/patching methods are really the best. Why do the roads fall apart so quickly? Everyone acknowleges that the rains have been exceptional this year, but does this mean that every time there is heavy rainfall, billions of dollars will go down the drain literally and figuratively?

If metereological predictions are to be believed, we are in for serioius changes in rainfall patterns. What is the long-range forecast for the survival of our national roads?

The Opposition knows full well that the subject of roads is highly emotional. The response is not based solely on party affiliation. Green and orange alike are affected. How long can we continue to deal with it by demonstration and community unrest? Sooner or later, voters are going to get wise to the game being played at their expense. It is full time that we took ourselves seriously. People are tired of the political soap-operas. Growing up time is here. Are you listening?

Source

[msportmore]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Originally posted by BlackStar:
[qb]... The response is not based solely on party affiliation. Green and orange alike are affected. How long can we continue to deal with it by demonstration and community unrest? ... People are tired of the political soap-operas. Growing up time is here. Are you listening?
[/qb]

gwaan choo Miss G!

[Jamaicamiss]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

Update: They were fixing the potholes yesterday on the stretch of road from Mobay to Ironshore. It may not stay after a good rain but it is a welcome sight.

I know where the government could get more money to line their pockets. If they would send out property tax bills it would bring in lots. I took possession of my home one year ago and still do not have a tax bill. This leads me to believe that the homes in Bogue Village have not paid taxes yet. Add to this the other housing schemes and you come up with lots of money.

[msportmore]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

JAmaica Miss, I want to see them fix roads other than MoBay, Ochi, Negril and other tourist prone areas - know what I mean?

But I feel you on the tax thing. Went to the tax office wah day and I hear someone say she was there to pay tax on her land - shi seh a mussi bout 10 years now shi nuh pay tax

In all her taxes came up to nuff nuff money. Later that day I saw a billboard that read somethin like "pay your property tax. it fixes the roads and the stoplights" or something like that.

I wonder if some people genuinely dont know that property tax are to be paid or if they just dont care cause government wont do anythin about it? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[Jamaicamiss]

Re: Jamaica's Roads

First of all you have to know what you owe in property taxes. I don't think they assess them for a long time after a home is built.

I signed up for the internet payment of the taxes with Jamaica but they had no record of me. You have to enter a coded number from your property tax statement. Well that's pretty hard to do if you've never received any documentation. To me it's frustrating because I want to pay the taxes yearly, not every ten years. Come to think of it though it's like an interest free loan.