Dear Editor,

sh I could draw a crowd to the conditions that have followed the Gordon Town Road breaking away that took place on November 8, 2020.

We have been faced with doubled, and sometimes tripled transportation costs. We have to traverse a dangerous path to get to our jobs, walking on a narrow strip of land, maybe less than two feet.

At evenings the roads are sometimes dark and lonely.

We have massive noise pollution as well, considering unwanted bikers ride up and down the road corridors before, during and after the imposed curfew. The police do nothing, which is surprising, because many of these bikers are not fit nor legal for the Jamaican roadways.

What pains Gordon Town residents is our Member of Parliament (MP) coming to the breakaway only to let us know that it will cost $200 million to fix a roadway that had been reported to her before the recent breakaway. We have been pleading with authorities to realign the roadway by digging away the side of the road to create a new lane while they work on a permanent fixture. But our MP said she is looking for a footpath for us in the bushes that will be safe. I just hope nobody gets robbed or raped.

Our MP has yet to have a meeting in Gordon Town Square to hear from the people, but posts are made on social media. We are suffering and we feel like no one cares because the election has already taken place. Should we block the roadway?

Yet, despite Savage Pen Road’s infeasibility, in my books, they spent $60 million on a path that cannot accept double-lane traffic.

Residents who do not drive won’t be able to access that road considering taxis will not traverse this path. The elderly, who often take public transportation provided by Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses, do not have access to this service anymore unless they walk beyond the breakaway — and good distance beyond, too — to find a bus stop.

I am just concerned because how garbage is now being disposed of and collected for the community at large. It piles up and smells like death.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Juliet Holness, MP for the Gordon Town area, please apply urgency to this matter. We know you both can absolutely do better.

Ensure that the road has lights, at least, and have a police officer stationed there.

Concerned Resident

helpjamaica876@gmail.com