Sunday, December 16, 2019

THE GLEANER, MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS A10 will CLOSE on December 25, 2019 for the holiday and will REOPEN on January 02, 2020. A BOOM inmotorcycles has been cited by a road-safety expert as a key factor behind the rise in traffic fatalities in Jamaica this year. Crash deaths have crossed the red line of 400 for the first time in nearly two decades, a threshold that has alarmed the police and traffic-management officials who have sought, unsuccessfully, to drive down casualties below 300 this decade. As at last Thursday, 402 people have died from traffic-related injuries. The last time the 400 mark was breached was in 2002 when 408 people died. Motorcyclists have this year accounted for 122 deaths, the biggest cohort, followed by 97 pedestrians. Sixty-two public motor car, five commercial motor car, and six public passenger vehicle drivers were killed over the period. Nineteen pedal cyclists were also killed. SECOND-QUARTER SPIKE The second quarter of the year accounted for the most deaths, at 119. Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council, still believes the campaign to not exceed 300 road deaths is possible. “With the huge surge in the number of bikes imported in the past few years and an increase in the [driving] population since 2007, it is expected that the fatality rates would climb. But despite missing the target, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to set ambitious targets,”Jones told The Gleaner . Prime Minister Andrew Holness will be meeting with stake- holders on January 16 to craft a plan of action, Jones said. The meeting will explore further improvements for an efficient post-crash response and the streamlining of the much-criticised ticketing system. editorial@gleanerjm.com Bikers push road deaths past 400 mark Albert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU: NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Dr Horace Chang says solving the country’s crime problem will not be sustainable until as a nation, we can fix the con- tinuous neglect of the security forces which has existed since independence. “The reality is, as a country, we neglected the security forces all of post-Independence and we only call on themwhen we have a prob- lem,”said Chang, while addressing last Wednesday’s press launch for the $1.5-billion Dream 36 housing development in Montego Bay. “That has been the history of the police and we have to correct all of that before we can really look towards sustainable success in resolving crime; but in addition to that, we have allowed our inner- city communities to deteriorate,” added Chang. He went on to bemoan the lack of resources to the police, including not enough cars, which hampers their ability to respond effectively to criminal activities. “So when you have a crime, you call the police and you expect them to have cars, you never buy them any. You expect them to stay in the police station, but the police station is leaking and they can’t stay in there. You expect them to communicate, but you destroy their radio system,” said Chang, in not- ing that the Jamaica Constabulary Force, which is responsible for maintaining public safety, was allowed to be so degraded that it just could not do its job. Chang also spoke out against the failure of the State to allow illegal squatter communities to develop, noting that they have become a haven for rampant criminality. TICKING TIME BOMB “Almost all the residential communities in Montego Bay for the working people came out of squatting, and squatting is an illegal activity. It generates an illegal ecosystem, which gen- erates illegal activities, which eventually leads to killings and murders,” stated Chang. “Individuals in those com- munities find their own way to make money and they do it very creatively, making plenty of money. Besides building their house, they buy cars and they retain their base and they buy guns,” continued Chang. “A young man out of a depressed community who goes to a school that has been ignored and they never got a decent edu- cation, they feel neglected, they feel hurt, they are angry and they get power by pulling the trigger in a gun,” added Chang. The nation has failed the police – Chang ChristopherThomas/GleanerWriter WESTERN BUREAU: TRANSPORT MINISTER Robert Montague says the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) has undertaken upgrading work at two aerodromes in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland as part of an initiative to improve and expand Jamaica’s aviation industry. Speaking at last Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the extension of the runway at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Montague said the projected work is to take place at the Lionel Densham Aerodrome in St Elizabeth, and the Negril Aerodrome in Westmoreland. “We’re moving now to step up the pace with general aviation, and therefore the AAJ has undertaken a programme of upgrading our aerodromes, which they’ve started by install- ing pilot lounges in all our aero- dromes. For the Lionel Densham Aerodrome, we’re supposed to do an overlay on the runway, and we’re putting in some restrooms and a waiting area because we’re determined to open up the south coast,” said Montague. “The Negril Aerodrome is get- ting some attention in terms of recovering the runway in Negril, because one-third of the Negril runway is actually under water, and we’re putting in a firehouse and an area where searches can be done with decency and consideration,” Montague added. RESTORATION UNDERWAY Thursday’s update follows an earlier announcement in March, where Montague indicated that restoration work would take place at the Negril Aerodrome after two major commercial airlines expressed interest in operating commercial flights out of Negril. Montague also praised the runway expansion project for the Sangster International Airport as proof of Jamaica’s adherence to avi- ation safety standards. The runway will be extended from2,662metres to 2,940 metres in six construction phases at a cost of US$70 million (J$9,839,158,000). “Since the privatisation of the Sangster International Airport in 2003, Montego Bay Jamaica Airports Limited (which operates the airport) has undertaken signif- icant improvement works to the third-largest airport in the region. As the transformation of the airport into aworld-class facility continues, it’s important to ensure that the air- port’s continued compliance with local and international standards for safety and aviation security is at its highest level,”saidMontague. The Sangster Airport runway project will also see the installa- tion of a jet-blast screen to prevent damage or injury from jet engines’ high-energy exhausts. Aerodromes out west getting upgrades Transport Minister Robert Montague (centre) takes part in a groundbreaking exercise for the extension of the Sangster International Airport’s runway in Montego Bay last Thursday. Also pictured are (from left) Audley Deidrick, chief executive officer of the Airports Authority of Jamaica; Michael Archer, projects director of Surrey Paving and Aggregate, which has been contracted for the extension project; Heroy Clarke, member of parliament for St James Central; and Dr Rafael Echevarne, outgoing chief executive officer of MBJ Airports Limited, which operates Sangster International Airport. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER THOMAS/PHOTOGRAPHER ‘So when you have a crime, you call the police and you expect them to have cars, you never buy them any. You expect them to stay in the police station, but the police station leaking and they can’t stay in there, you expect them to communicate, but you destroy their radio system’ A pillion rider sits on a crashed motorbike along Windward Road, east Kingston, on September 26, 2018. The driver of the motorcycle suffered injuries and was taken to the hospital for medical attention. Motorcycle crashes and fatalities have continued to be a major feature in accident statistics. FILE