A GAME of cat and mouse has developed between Senior Superintendent of Police Radcliffe Lewis, head of the Traffic Division, and the National Works Agency (NWA), over a Corporate Area traffic sign.

The sign — which prevents motorists from making a right turn while travelling south along Hope Road into Kingsway — was erected by the NWA.

The agency is responsible for all traffic signals across Jamaica.

SSP Lewis said he has removed the “no right turn” sign at the intersection twice, and he will take it down again.

“That no-right-turn sign is causing major traffic congestion. I moved it and the NWA put it back up,” said SSP Lewis.

“I am telling motorists to ignore the sign. Once the traffic is clear, you can make the right turn,” he continued.

Mike Saunderson, NWA traffic operations manager, is determined that every time the top cop removes it, his office will replace it.

“If he moves it again, we have to put it back up, because we don’t want to be seen as shirking our duties,” Saunderson told Auto.

He said the sign should not be removed by the police without permission.

According to Saunderson, right turns at the Kingsway intersection increase traffic congestion along Hope Road. He said that even with a filter light, there would still be a problem as without a dedicated filter lane.

“Maybe one or two vehicles could turn right, before a third vehicle comes along which wants to continue down Hope Road and blocks the filter traffic from turning,” he explained.

“So the answer has to be a dedicated lane, that would allow all the traffic in that lane to turn onto Kingsway at the same time, without impeding the other traffic,” he pointed out.

Saunderson said the dedicated lane is part of a long-term plan that the NWA has for the vicinity. The other areas include the intersection of Trafalgar, Hope and Waterloo roads, South Avenue, and as far as the King’s House intersection. However, the plan awaits funding.

In the meantime, he warns motorists that if they turn right at Kingsway, they do so at their own risk.

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