THE National Secondary Student Council is predicting that the closure of the Bog Walk gorge will put added stress on students from Linstead, and at a time when many are preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations.

“If the Bog Walk gorge were to be closed, it will be more tedious for students traversing the Linstead to Spanish Town and Kingston routes. Many bus and taxi operators are (already) over-charging the students (who) are often prevented from boarding public buses because their fare is less than that of adults,” Darren Miller, president of the student council, told Career & Education.

He noted that several students are currently being asked to pay the adult fare of $100 instead of the $60 they are supposed to pay.

“In some cases, they (bus operators) verbally abuse the students and order them to sit at the back of the buses in groups of five. I also witnessed a bus conductor pushing a student off the bus recently,” Miller said.

He added that the fares are expected to increase with any closure of the gorge.

“We need to make sure that our young people are transported to school with the least stress possible. Many students cannot afford the fare of $60. If there is an additional amount, this will add more to the stress level of the students and their parents… The students scheduled to sit the Caribbean Examination Council examinations will also be affected,” Miller said.

The gorge should have been closed at the end of last month to facilitate pipe-laying works by the National Water Commission. Once complete, the work is expected to improve water supply to several areas of the island, including Portmore and other parts of St Catherine, Kingston and St Andrew.

But while this news is welcomed, the closure of the gorge is something students dread.

“In the event that it is closed, we want the students to be afforded a better transport system. We also would like the Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses to run along the corridor,” Miller said.

Up to now, the gorge remains open to vehicular traffic, but that is only because Minister of Water and Housing Dr Horace Chang has ordered a review of the planned closure. If and when the closure comes, however, students, like other commuters, will be forced to travel to and from Linstead via the alternative routes — Sligoville and Barry. Those routes, Miller complained, will prove more arduous for students, given that they are longer and the road conditions poor.