A prominent Olympian is said to be among indisciplined motorists who contributed to traffic congestion at the intersection of East King’s House and Barbican roads in St Andrew yesterday, prompting an intervention by the police Traffic Division.

Head of this division, Senior Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis said the “runner” was recently accosted by police officers after he attempted an improper transition from the right lane on East King’s House Road.

He declined to name the athlete when pressed, but said it is a common practice by motorists at the location to attempt the shortcut, especially during rush hour.

For this reason, Lewis himself helped unload some one dozen concrete barriers to regulate traffic flow in the area yesterday.

“When the police from the Traffic Division are here, it (traffic flow) is normal, but once they are not here, it is free for all. So we decided to take some boulders that we had at Traffic and put them here to prevent the congestion caused by indisciplined motorists,” said Lewis.

“And the indiscipline is from all sections of the society,” said Lewis as he helped crane operators straighten the barriers placed along the median line in the roadway.

“I won’t event tell you one name that came here the other day. He was going to the Grant’s Pen area, but he came here [in the right lane] and I had to say ‘No, although you are a prominent person, you will have to go back ‘round and position yourself,” he said. East King’s House Road is divided into two lanes which take motorists to the roundabout in Barbican Square. The left lane leads to the communities of Russell Heights, Acadia and Grant’s Pen, while the right lane runs in the direction of Barbican Mews and Cherry Gardens.

Unruly motorists usually travel in the right until they have reached near to the intersection where the roads split before “squeezing” their way into the left lane, said Lewis.

Now, however, with the barricades in position, they will have to position themselves in the appropriate lane upon reaching the rear exit of the Loshusan Mall — where the concrete barriers begin.

“They can’t come here again and expect to make a sudden left turn again,” said the senior superintendent, who — by his sporty garb had — used his day off to carry out the traffic change yesterday.

Yesterday, Lewis said he was yet to inform the National Works Agency about the changes he had enforced at the intersection. He noted, however, that there was no need, as the Traffic Division has ultimate responsibility for regulating traffic in Jamaica.

In the meantime, Lewis said traffic changes are also being made on Old Hope Road outside of the United States Embassy; and on West King’s House Road, outside of the Canadian High Commission.

Designated ‘No Parking’ zones will be marked outside both premises, and a pedestrian crossing erected outside the US Embassy, he said.