Prime minister opens new bus park in downtown Kingston

Patrina Pink, Gleaner Writer

PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding officially opened the new transport centre on Water Lane, west Kingston, yesterday. The centre had outgrown its $160-million budget, reportedly costing the Urban Development Corporation more than $400 million. Its location has also been highly criticised, and Mr Golding used the launch to defend the project. He said that the new centre would help to revive downtown Kingston, and its location was strategic, as it would go a far way in lessening vehicular congestion in the area.

The prime minister said the launch represented a "significant advance in the rationalisation of public-passenger transportation in downtown".

The facilities also received a thumbs up from the public, as well as taxi and bus drivers who withstood the sweltering heat and attended the early morning launch. Many were eager to be among the first to hop on to the new shuttle buses and 'christen' downtown's newest darling. Officials from the Transport Authority say that the centre falls in line with a vision for the pedestrianisation of parts of downtown Kingston. The Water Lane centre will house buses plying routes from St Mary, St Thomas, and Portland.

helping with development

Cecil Morgan, general manager of operations for the Transport Authority, said that his organisation would be working hard to help develop the city centre and would be taking steps to remove as much vehicular traffic as possible.

"Eventually, the vision will be to get rid of all the traffic in the Parade area. The centre will mean less traffic; pedestrianisation is the plan forward … ."

Morgan also said that the centre would provide "a more reliable and safer service, which will be easier to manage control and regulate ... ."

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company will be the only public-transportation entity operating in the Parade area of the city.