All said ready for new downtown transport system

BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com

Saturday, January 15, 2011

TRANSPORT officials say all is ready for today's implementation of the new transportation system in downtown, Kingston as well as the opening of the Downtown Municipal Transport Centre at Water Lane.

Under the new transport system, only state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses will be allowed to terminate in Parade. The bus company's sub-franchise operators will terminate at Pechon Street, rural stage operators at Water Lane, Terminal 1, while route taxis will be accommodated at the Water Lane Taxi Park.

"It's all systems go for tomorrow (today) and so after the official ceremony around 12:00 noon all operators will have to park under the new facility," Cecil Morgan, operations manager at the Transport Authority told the Observer.

Yesterday, workers were busy putting the finishing touches on the newly constructed Water Lane Terminal as well as resurfacing the Pechon Street facility.

Morgan said the new system will kick in immediately after the official opening ceremony which is scheduled to get underway by 9:00 am.

Despite the last-minute rush to get things in place, Morgan was confident that everything will be ready for today.

"What we are doing right now is some painting at the new centre; the signs are already up and the office for the police, Transport Authority and Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) officers are all in place already," Morgan explained.

Morgan, who was touring the Water Lane facility when he spoke with the Observer, said various directional and identifying signs are already in place.

As for the Water Lane Taxi Park, workmen were still in the process of putting up some sheds and signs up to late yesterday.

Meanwhile, at the Pechon Street facility, workmen had started to repave the surface on Thursday and were still working on it up to late yesterday.

But according to Morgan, the re-surfacing could not have been done earlier as there was a major problem with the drainage system which had to be fixed before the surface could be re-paved.

"That will be completed and signs erected for it to be used by tomorrow (today)," the Transport Authority official said.

As for the Darling Street Terminal, which will accommodate hackney carriages, Morgan said upgrade work will be done in the future.

Based on the arrangements reached with the operators, the Transport Authority operations manager said he did not envision any problem with the rolling out of the new system.

Meanwhile, Reginald Allen, communications manager at the JUTC, said the bus company has everything in place to roll out the shuttles which will be used to transport commuters from the Water Lane Terminal to Parade.

"The shuttles will be ready to move out immediately following the official ceremony," Allen said.

He noted, however, that the bus company does not expect any full-scale transition today as the full effects of the new system is not expected before tomorrow.

"Come Sunday morning all the relevant service providers would have taken the location that has been earmarked for them and so by then we will get to gauge how the system is working," he said.

The eight designated shuttles are expected to operate between the hours of 5:00 am to 11:00 pm daily, when the Water Lane Terminal as well as the JUTC cease operations.

Allen was unable to say what contingency would be put in place to facilitate operators and commuters outside of these hours.

However, a source told the Observer that arrangements will be put in place for all operators and commuters to use the Pechon Street facility after the centre is closed.

According to Allen, the older JUTC buses which will be labelled 'shuttle', will operate from the Water Lane facility to Parade every four minutes during peak hours and six to eight minutes during off-peak hours.

Up to yesterday some commuters were still not sure what the new transport arrangements would entail.

"I am still not sure what will park where but I guess I will just see what will happen when I come to do my shopping on Saturday," said Lurline Small.

Her friend Patsy Burke said she would be going downtown today just to see how the system works so she can explain to her daughter, who will be taking the bus on Monday.

"I know that is on Monday when school open that the chaos is going to begin and so I am going to learn the ropes first so I can tell my daughter what to do so she don't get caught up in the madness," Burke said.

But according to Morgan, the police and Transport Authority officers will be out in their numbers on the streets and will be available to direct 'confused commuters'.

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All said ready for new downtown transport system