FALMOUTH, Trelawny – Come Monday morning public transportation operators in Trelawny are all expected to begin operating out of the recently upgraded transportation centre on Tharpe Street in Falmouth as the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) revs up its push to reduce traffic congestion within the parish capital.

Mayor of Falmouth and chairman of the TMC, Councillor C Junior Gager, told the Jamaica Observer that members of the corporation have met with relevant stakeholders to ramp up support for use of the renovated facility.

“The Trelawny Municipal Corporation has met with the police, Transport Authority, National Solid Waste Management Authority, the fire department, and TPDCo [Tourism Product Development Company], everybody,” Gager said.

“We have also spoken to and have been in dialogue for a long time, with Mr Egeton Newman, president of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services[ TODSS]; he’s quite impressed. So we have met with all of the stakeholders, everybody involved,” he added.

Newman, who described the facility as the fulfilment of a promise made just over a year ago, has thrown his full support behind his members using it as of Monday.

“It’s all systems go for the full use of the facility by operators and commuters alike. There should be no setting down or uploading of passengers on Market or any other streets in the town. And I would want to strongly urge our transport operators — both bus and taxi operators — to start using the facility. Once you are in the park the commuters will find you,” Newman appealed during an interview with Observer West.

There is also strong support from commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Winston Milton.

“We are fully on board,” he said.

Each year commuters brace for traffic snarls that worsen with the reopening of schools after the summer break. It is hoped that this coordinated approach to providing a solution will produce results.

Transport operators have identified a few things that need to be addressed in order to boost the chances of success. For example, Newman has called on the TMC to install a fence at the entrance of the facility before opening on Monday.

Mayor Gager said that deadline will not be met but there are plans to address the issue.

“We are giving them bathroom, we are giving them a big shelter, bus parks, we giving them light, they are getting everything. All these amenities will be in place on Monday morning. The lights will be installed [Wednesday]. We are giving them solar lights, they just arrived and we are going to be installing them. The only thing that is not going to be there Monday morning is the fencing of the drains and the perimeter. But that will be starting very soon,” he assured.

Hopeton Gordon, president of the nearly 400-member Coastal Transportation Association (CTS), welcomed the amenities but expressed concern that the level of shelter from the elements is inadequate. He also called for the covering of a drain that runs alongside the facility.

“While we appreciate the conveniences, the shed is grossly inadequate for the volume of passengers that will be using the park,” he said.

“Additionally, with the threat of dengue, the drain with the stagnant water should be covered,” he added.