MANCHESTER, Jamaica – Manchester councillors are demanding that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development swiftly respond to their request for the implementation of designated hours for deliveries by trucks to alleviate congestion in the capital town, Mandeville.

Deputy Mayor of Mandeville, Councillor Rohan Kennedy (Mile Gully Division, People’s National Party) said for over a year the local municipality has been waiting on the approval of the ministry for the designated hours.

“If a poll is to be done one of the main issues in the town would be traffic. We here have put together something to make the lives of people in Mandeville better and to a wider extent the parish and it is taking so long,” he said while addressing last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

“The delivery trucks just deliver at any time and they block the road, so as a result of that we made some recommendations for deliveries to be done when the town is less congested,” he said.

He said the municipal corporation is continuously blamed for the congestion in the town.

He did not mention the designated times for deliveries by trucks that were submitted to the ministry for approval.

Councillor Jones Oliphant (Mandeville Division, People’s National Party) said it is embarrassing as to how long the municipality has been waiting for the approval.

“This doesn’t need rocket science. Simple, we have put our proposal… and I am wondering if it is incompetence or something like that why we are not getting that result from that office, but it is very embarrassing. How long are we going to face the people to give them excuse?” he asked.

“I am sure there are other things in this country that are implemented at the stroke of a pen with ease and this has taken us so long,” he added.

Councillor McArthur Collins (New Green Division, People’s National Party) argued that the South Race Course Road in Mandeville needs order.

“Post office, tax office and the rest of the (Government) agencies are there and if we drive around there now, there is traffic to do the unloading for supermarkets along [that road]… There is no parking space down there,” he said.

He added that frustrated citizens have opted to do business at tax offices in Christiana and Santa Cruz.

Mandeville’s long standing issue of congestion is expected to ease with the implementation of the Greater Mandeville Traffic Management System.

The $80 million project, which incorporates roads and intersections being widened and signalised, is expected to create a ring road around the town.

Kasey Williams