Pastors who have been trained to conduct pre-marital counselling know that there are indicators of marital incompatibility, which sometimes are seen during sessions with couples desirous of getting married.

They are called “red flags”. These include: a pregnant bride, wide age difference between the bride and the groom, wide gap in education between both, alcohol and drug involvement on the part of one or both parties, and evidence of emotional problems. These are generally reliable indicators of potential problems. I believe that it is possible to apply this method to some other areas of life in which attempts have been made to bring about an alliance or harmonising of elements which are otherwise contradictory or downright incompatible.

Residents of Montego Bay, as well as those who have to visit or pass through that city, have for a long time been hopeful that the day would come when something meaningful would be done to alleviate traffic congestion in their city. The announcement and initiation of construction of the dual carriageway from Reading and along the corridor of Bogue marked the first sign of hope. The second is the announcement that there will be a tremendous financial outlay on a technological solution to the traffic woes of the city. Accordingly, the erection of traffic lights and other signals commenced in the downtown area of the city. Initial interest soon turned to bewilderment as the lights being erected were facing the wrong way. For months citizens just looked on and wondered what was taking place. Finally, an announcement was made concerning the date and time when the signals would be activated.

Unfortunately, things do not happen this way. Although attributed to infrastructural limitations, many traffic woes are a people problem, therefore, one has to bring together the technological solution and the human component. It is this alliance or “marriage’ which has not taken place and which threatens to undermine the whole system or the effectiveness of the solution which has been deposited. In this regard, I would argue that what is now transpiring in Montego Bay makes it in effect a true microcosm of our Jamaican society.

We have assumed that technology deposited on top of the old order will bring about efficiency and effectiveness without a drastic reorientation and rethinking about how life has been ordered. One only has to visit certain financial and commercial enterprises to see how new technology (new computer hardware and software) in the hands of old staff has contributed to the system being slower and less efficient than the old manual method. In this regard there were some clear signs that those in authority who care would have noticed and known that, if not addressed, they would undermine the effectiveness of the technological change. These I choose to label as “red flags” in this proposed alliance or “marriage”.

The first of these is the rampant indiscipline which has permeated our society and which asserts that rules of any kind, including those of the road, are subject only to personal likes and dislikes, and no authority, however constituted, must dictate what each citizen chooses to do. One only has to observe how pedestrians move along the main streets of the city, including Sam Sharpe Square and Barnett Street, to see the chaotic encounter between motorists and pedestrians each day.

The second “red flag” is that, whether we like it or not, the drivers of public transport vehicles, inclusive of minibuses and registered and unregistered taxis, call the shots in terms of the culture of the roadway in Jamaica today. The cat-and-mouse game of the police is ineffective in stemming the tide, even as citizens and motorists seek to defeat the best efforts of the police by the use of the cellphone and the flashing headlights. In Montego Bay the points of greatest congestion are those at which the taxis congregate. At times they stop three abreast in a line of moving traffic to solicit or let off passengers while being totally oblivious to the other users of the road. Where pickup and drop-off facilities exist they go unused or underutilised.

As a city, Montego Bay for the most part does not have a culture of traffic lights with pedestrian crossings, and the few that exist are treated with scant regard by pedestrians. Pedestrians simply walk when and how they choose. This should present another “red flag” for those responsible for the introduction of these new electronically regulated traffic signals in the city.

In pre-marital preparation and counselling, when “red flags” appear, they are seen as an opportunity for the pastor to call a “time out” and to have the couple look at the issues involved and to see if they are realistic in their assessment of the situation and how they are positioning themselves for dealing with the threats which these may pose in the future.

One would have thought that, given all realities of life in Montego Bay and the delays in the implementation of the new electronically controlled traffic lights, the opportunity would have been used to conduct a serious public education programme. Flyers could have been distributed and the electronic media could have been used to educate persons on the new system, its benefits, how it will work, and how to utilise the same as motorists and pedestrians for the most effective and efficient functioning of the system. Perhaps this would have been a wonderful opportunity to involve the National Road Safety Committee. Instead, most of the citizens have remained ignorant about the system, while the education process has been reduced to the imparting of information about dates and the one-way system that will accompany the introduction of traffic lights.

In view of what I have designated as “red flags” and which have not received due attention, the city now has a potentially good system which is receiving negative responses from many citizens. There is animosity between motorists and pedestrians when the protocol of the road is not observed, and the police are left to ensure that the system works and punish the offenders. This assigned role of the police may be likened to that of the mother who does not want to be perceived as the punitive parent and who often says “just wait till your father comes home”. I have witnessed police stopping violators of the new traffic system and passengers verbally attacking the officer for carrying out his job.

It may not be too late to save this “marriage”, but it will require a concerted effort that cannot be simply relegated to policing. It must begin by considering seriously where we are as a nation and recognising that the big-stick approach only generates animosity, alienation, lack of cooperation, and frustrates the effective working of any system. The slower process of education is more effective. This process of education must have as one of its aims imparting to people the benefits that will accrue to them if the system is allowed to work. In that way the perceived enemy may be dismissed as the figment of one’s imagination.

There needs to be a buy-in by identified stakeholders if this system is to work. Pedestrians and motorists must be able to see how this new system will be to their advantage. Likewise, the operators of public passenger vehicles must understand how the free flow of traffic will permit a more speedy and efficient turn-around time for their trips. Operators of commercial enterprises must also understand that they cannot simply take deliveries at any hour of day and block one lane of traffic which is designated as a lane for the free flow of traffic using the traffic signals.

This does not mean an abandonment of the enforcement of the law. Therefore, the designated parking locations for taxis must be observed and the drivers who violate the rules should be prosecuted. In addition, it is hoped that the long-touted CCTV facility will be installed on the streets of Montego Bay so we can better monitor the activities on the road. This will lead to a more efficient distribution of the human resources available to the police force.

If this “marriage” can be made to work effectively in Montego Bay, the microcosm of the larger society, then there is hope for our country. If not, may the Lord help us!

The drivers of public transport vehicles, inclusive of minibuses and registered and unregistered taxis, call the shots in terms of the culture of the roadway in Jamaica today.