MONEY transfer giant Moneygram International, on Thursday officially handed over more than 1,600 road traffic signs and other equipment to the National Works Agency (NWA) as part of the Ministry of Transport & Works/NWA/MoneyGram pedestrian crossing project which was launched last year.

Now that it has received the goods, the NWA announced that phase two of the project, which entails the erection of the signs as well as the repainting of 357 crosswalks across the country, will begin next month.

The signs, which read “Pedestrian Crossing”, “Pedestrian Crossing Ahead” and “Children Crossing”, cost Moneygram US$350,000. They will be installed in the vicinity of the pedestrian crossings which have already been identified by the agencies.

MoneyGram’s regional sales manager for the Caribbean, Steve Higgins, said the markings will be done near schools, hospitals and government buildings where crossing signs and improved road markings could help increase safety awareness.

“A few signs have already been placed and now the majority of (them) will be rolled out with the road markings for the pedestrian zones. We’re pleased to have worked to secure the long-lasting materials that will preserve the impact of these new signs for many, many years,” he said.

At Thursday’s handing-over ceremony at the Maxfield Avenue headquarters of the Ministry of Housing, Water, Transport & Works, minister Robert Pickersgill explained that instead of using road marking paint as is normally done, the NWA will use thermoplastic material to repaint the crosswalks. Unlike paint, which fades between three and six months, thermoplastic lasts up to three years. While it may be more expensive to procure, its life span makes it a cheaper alternative in the long run. The material is also said to be more visible and less slippery than road marking paint.

Thermoplastic is essentially made up of plastic which when heated, changes to liquid form and then turns to a brittle, glassy state when frozen.

Minister Pickersgill said other equipment were procured at an additional cost of US$40,000.

“We have also procured 20,000 pounds of thermoplastic, 1,500 lbs of glass beads which will be used to increase reflectivity of the road markings, and one premelter,” Pickersgill added.

The premelter is akin to a large furnace and is capable of melting up to 1,000 pounds of thermoplastic at a time.

The minister spoke highly of the collaboration which focuses on the safety of pedestrians. He cited statistics from the ministry’s Road Safety Unit which indicated that there have been 50 pedestrian fatalities so far this year. Sixty-six persons died on the road in 2005 and 2006, up from 51 in 2004.

“While pedestrian fatalities have been lowered in Jamaica in recent years, the spate of deaths and injuries remain unacceptably high. This high fatality rate may be caused to some extent by the growing car-dependent lifestyle of Jamaicans. We must therefore make greater provision for facilities, awareness and care for pedestrians through programmes of collaboration such as this pedestrian crossing project that we are continuing today in partnership with MoneyGram,” the minister said.