Cross Roads, Papine trouble traffic spots

Amid the hustle and bustle of daily life in Papine and Cross Roads, St Andrew, there is obvious disregard of road traffic and vending laws by taxi operators and vendors.

Papine, St Andrew, is by far the worse of the two. The levels of illegal vending and obstruction to pedestrians and vehicles by unruly taxi operators is blatant and as loud as the noisy 'loader men'. Vendors line out large heaps of oranges, bananas and other forms of foodstuff across the piazzas of many business places in the vicinity of Papine Market. These vendors appear to be quite settled and show no signs of fear of prosecution for their illegal activities. In many instances, customers have to navigate a course between the vendors in order to avoid stepping on the goods on the sidewalk.

Taxi operators are parked in all areas, blocking pedestrians, other motorists and even the entrances of several business places. In one instance, a taxi was seen under a traffic sign clearly marked 'NO PARKING BETWEEN THESE SIGNS'. In other areas they are parked in spaces where the sidewalks are painted yellow, indicating a 'no parking' zone. One proprietor said he has been suffering significant losses as his customers were unable to park or stop safely to conduct business.

Cross Roads is a little better than Papine. However, the taxi operators are parked on the sidewalks, blocking pedestrians. This is especially in the vicinity of the National Commercial Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia along Slipe Pen Road. In some cases, pedestrians are forced to walk in the road, putting them at the mercy of oncoming motorists.

safety and security

With the festive Christmas season pending, Jamaicans want to feel a sense of safety and security as they shop, browse, party or simply go about their usual business. This concern is particularly heightened as throngs of people move about in the hope that they would be under the watchful eyes of the police.

This year, like all others, the police should be out in their numbers across shopping districts and central transport areas to ensure shoppers' safety and prevent public disorder, including illegal vending and breaches of the Road Traffic Act.

What is also evident is the glaring absence of police in these areas to prevent the free for all that currently obtains. The police will have to put their usual Christmas policing plan into operation, since there will likely be an increase in the number of illegal vendors as the Christmas season draws nearer. Taxi operators act with impunity of the laws in some instances and the police are likely to face extreme challenges in keeping them in check.

Efforts made to elicit a comment from the St Andrew police proved futile.