Bad roads drive Hertford residents to the brink

Tensions flared along the Hertford main road on Monday as taxi operators and residents mounted a protest over deteriorating road conditions, with some going as far as forming human barricades to halt traffic and draw attention to their plight.

Among them was Faith, a female taxi driver on the route, who physically positioned herself as part of a blockade when one operator attempted to continue working.

“It’s the truth, I’m a taxi driver, which, every week we have to spend money,” Faith said. “All of the car bottom gone. All of the bushing that are there, we have to build them. We have to build over the engine, everything right now..”

Her words painted a picture of constant financial strain, as operators struggle to maintain vehicles battered by pothole-ridden roads.

“A $130,000 we have to spend to fix the car dem. And it’s like, we keep on going, going, going. We need road. We need justice,” she added.

Faith said the cost of operating legally only compounds their challenges, pointing to high insurance premiums and regulatory expenses.

“It’s $650,000 for my insurance because my licence is young. ... Plus, the amount of things that we have to do on the road. We have to have a road licence. We have to do everything. We have to spend a lot of money,” she said.

Despite these costs, she said poor road conditions are eroding their earnings.

“So, it doesn’t make sense to spend the money and have to use more on the cars … And we don’t make no money on the road because of the road. We need roads.”

Faith also linked the road conditions to fatal accidents in the area.

“In not even two weeks, two bikers were dead because of a bad road … . My cousin would be here today if it wasn’t for that one pothole. We need roads,” she said.

Another taxi operator, Leroy, echoed similar frustrations, detailing the constant mechanical repairs required to keep vehicles running.

“Every week you have to go to the garage. Right now I have to go to the garage and examine the power roll three times a week … . [It’s] very, very hard,” he said.

He estimated that maintenance costs can climb as high as $20,000 weekly.

“If we change tires, then ball joints and rackets every week, we don’t have any money left,” Leroy said.

SAFETY CONCERNS

The poor road conditions, he added, also create safety concerns.

“I’m afraid of gunmen. Because when I have to slow down there ,anything can happen … . The road is dark, especially if it’s night,” he explained.

Leroy also expressed dissatisfaction with political representation.

“We want to see MP… We don’t feel good… Until election comes, you will see him wind up and come down,” he said.

Another driver, identified as Indian, recounted how the road caused significant damage to his vehicle while transporting passengers.

“The front bumper tear off … and here comes the back bumper – tear off after I fix the front bumper,” he said. “The front bumper alone is $300,000… Sometimes the man charge you $60,000 to fix it. It all depends on the damage caused by the road.”

He stressed that the issue affects all road users.

“Private people is feeling it. Taxi is feeling it. Even judge, lawyer, doctor, policeman live up here. All of us are feeling it,” he said.

While taxi operators led the protest, commuters were also impacted. Tessicar Glaze, an employee at a Hanover hotel, said the roadblock disrupted her ability to get to work.

“It is very difficult for me to reach to work this morning because I have to walk actually 40 minutes before I get a taxi,” she said.

She added that even on normal days, travel times are significantly longer due to the road conditions.

“Sometimes we take like 45 minutes to reach to Sav… normally it will take like 20 minutes,” Glaze explained.

Despite the inconvenience, she acknowledged the drivers’ concerns.

“We understand that the roads are in bad condition. However, the taxis do need better roads to run on,” she said.

In response, the National Works Agency (NWA) said the road has been assessed and is slated for repairs under an upcoming patching programme, though no timeline has been confirmed.

“Since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, we had a programme where we targeted some of the roadways, but the damage is great,” said regional communications officer Janel Ricketts.

“The intention will be to really tackle the worst affected sections of that corridor… but unfortunately, I’m not able to give you a timeline,” she added.

Member of Parliament Dwayne Vaz said temporary measures are being arranged while awaiting the NWA’s intervention.

“For a temporary fix, [we will] drop a mixture of marl and stone in the worst sections of the road,” he said.

Vaz noted that residents have agreed to clear the blockade temporarily, but warned that protests could resume if no action is taken.

“They have threatened that if we don’t do temporary work they’ll block it back on Thursday morning,” he said.

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com