Only months ago, we all whispered a silent prayer for segment two of the Northcoast Highway, especially, the section between the Sangster International Airport and Rosehall to be completed so we could eradicate the pile-up of traffic and lengthy delays motorists experienced..

Today we are all praying that God will have mercy on us and keep us alive whenever we venture out on this road. The speed at which motorists travel, combined with the lawlessness and indiscipline that prevails on this thoroughfare, can only be referred to as a blatant lack of respect for ‘life’.

Since the opening of the road a little over a year ago, there have been over nineteen major accidents resulting in twenty-three deaths, not to mention the other less severe ones that have been unreported. At times, it forces one to ask whether crime or indiscipline on our roadways is the greater ill.

Here are some recommendations to assist the effort to curtail the number of mishaps and the death toll on this road:

. More visible, prominent and imaginative speed limit signs be installed along the roadway. These will act as more vivid reminders to motorist to maintain the speed limits.

. In the short term, provide the police with the manpower to stage more speed checks and in the medium-term, since there will always be a shortage of manpower, technology should be employed by way of installing cameras at various points. This system has been very effective in other countries.

. The fines and penalties for breaches on our roadways should also be increased, it is only when we start feeling it in our pockets that we will be more mindful of our reckless and

. Government also needs to amend the law to make it an offence for motorists to flash their headlights in an effort to warn oncoming motorists of the police’ presence. This practice has been hampering the efforts of the police significantly.

. A public education campaign sensitising the public on how to use our roadways is badly needed: many drivers are still not aware that the right lane should only be used for overtaking and that ‘RED’ means stop. It is no secret that many users of the roads have not gone through the formal system to acquire their drivers’ licence.

Each driver who commits a breach of the road code should be subjected to a retesting exercise which involves passing a test on their knowledge of the road codes.

As a layman, it is my opinion that the roadways in this area are too narrow. There is no verge between the inner lane and the sharp-edged median, leaving you nowhere to go when these large vehicles decide to take a part of your lane.

The holding area for vehicles to turn is also too narrow.

The road is also awfully dark at nights and renders it difficult to determine the inner lane from the median, not to mention the blinding effect of the bright lights that hit you from oncoming traffic.

We are hoping that the installation of ‘ cat’s-eye’ outlining the median which has been proposed by the NWA will not take as long to implement as the proposed lighting of the roads…

The full complement of traffic lights at designated high risk areas have still not been completed, hopefully this will help to break the speed and offer a bit protection.

It has been well over a year now that talks have been going on with stakeholders in the area and the relevant agencies to address this worrying issue.

To date unfortunately we are still talking with little progress made despite the many deadlines given for completion and the fact that funding of this project is not an issue.

The agencies responsible for effecting these works must stop the talking and act now, there’s just too much at stake!

Pauline Reid is the Managing Director of Corporate Connections and a former past president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.