Tackle Ellesmere Road informal taxi stand

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Too often our police force, especially our traffic cops, have failed to collar lawlessness, giving it free rein. Sure, the cops talk a good talk, but they generally fail to sustain patrols and disincentivise lawbreaking.

A case in point is the disorder that takes place at Ellesmere Road, off Constant Spring Road.

The road itself, as well as the soft shoulder, has been turned into an informal taxi stand.

For much of the day, taxi men stop at the entrance to the Bank of Nova Scotia Premier branch to drop off or pick up passengers or the small plaza facing it. Sometimes nearly two dozen commuters stand there, causing a traffic hazard as motorists turning from Constant Spring Road on to Ellesmere Road may run into a maze of taxis going to and fro.

This should not be tolerated. Ellesmere Road is in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Half-Way Tree, and the clear breach posed by these taxi drivers, in establishing an informal pick-up spot, is there for the cops to see and act on.

The gatherings that amass there also jeopardise Scotia customers withdrawing funds from the nearby ABM, as unscrupulous persons, posing as commuters, can use that as cover to monitor, track and attack customers of the bank.

I am urging Senior Superintendent of Police Radcliffe Lewis to take charge and force taxi operators to obey the law and not set up ad hoc pickup points.

DISGRUNTLED MOTORIST,

Kingston 10