Changes ahead for Downtown Parade - Portmore buses for new transport centre
Published:Sunday | July 17, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Brian Bonitto, Special Assignment Editor
MAYOR DESMOND McKenzie said major commuter-traffic changes are slated to take place downtown Kingston at the end of the first month of the new school year.
"Come the end of September, we will be moving all the buses that ply the Portmore to Kingston route into the new Downtown Transportation Centre," said Mayor McKenzie. "The buses will include all the Jamaica Urban Transit Corporation (JUTC) buses, as well as the other public-passenger buses plying that route."
Currently, the final stop for Portmore buses is the drive-through park in Parade at the heart of the city's commercial district.
McKenzie, who is also chairman of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), announced the proposed move in an address to members of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North at The Wyndham Kingston hotel last Monday.
"So, we'll be adding about 400 new buses at that facility," he said.
Conceived by the Kingston City Centre Committee (KCCIC) in 2004, the Water Lane bus park was opened in January 2011. However, criticism has been voiced, describing the location as being too remote.
Michael Ammar Jr, former president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of the KCCIC, told Automotives that the move would ease congestion in the city's shopping district.
Traffic problems
"We definitely support it," Ammar Jr said. "What currently happens is that in the mornings and afternoons, the buses in South Parade block the free flow of traffic on King and Orange Streets. And North Parade has similar problems."
The JCC past president explained that the new transport centre was built in an effort to remove all Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses which currently park at Parade.
"The plan was a sound one. I don't know why it wasn't implemented in its entirety," he said.
"Therefore, the plan is for Parade to be a bus stop, not a terminus, but the travelling public should see very little difference," said the businessman.
According to Ammar Jr, the three critical areas earmarked for the successful redevelopment of Kingston are the market district, the waterfront, and Parade.
"If we don't fix Parade, the commercial district will not improve," he said. "And, the business people will not do anything until they get a signal that the authorities are serious about the redevelopment."