JAMAICA Public Service (JPS) says its teams have escalated street light repairs across the island ahead of the Christmas holiday to ensure the commuting public benefits from improved lighting during the festive season.

The focused effort, which commenced some three weeks ago, will see almost 5,000 street lights being repaired across the island, the utility said.

Senior vice-president of energy delivery at JPS Blaine Jarrett reiterated the company’s position on working with local authorities to ensure improved illumination islandwide.

“We have been working closely with stakeholders, including the municipalities, to ensure that towns are especially well lit during this festive season,” he said. “Street light repairs are part of JPS’s year-round maintenance activities. However, our repair schedule was disrupted by the passage of Hurricane Beryl and further hampered by the fact that several lights were impacted in the hardest-hit areas.”

A few of the thoroughfares already completed include Chapleton to Frankfield in Clarendon, the Fair Prospect Main Road in Portland, Jose Marti to Windsor Heights in St Catherine, and the Palisadoes strip, a popular route for Kingstonians celebrating New Year’s Eve by viewing fireworks on the Kingston Harbour.

The utility has also been collaborating with the National Works Agency (NWA) to facilitate repairs of street lights owned by the government entity, with works being done on the Bogue Road and Elegant Corridor (which runs from the round-a-bout at the Sangster International Airport to the Iberostar Hotel) in Montego Bay.

When asked about the factors contributing to non-working street lights, Orlando McKoy, director of transmission and distribution asset management at JPS cited theft and motor vehicle crashes as two of the major reasons.

“The number one challenge the company contends with is the theft of electricity fixtures. Street lights along the Palisadoes Strip in Kingston, the Dyke Road and Hellshire main roads in St Catherine, and the Chesterfield stretch in St Andrew have been replaced several times over because of criminal elements stealing JPS property,” he explained.

The company says it continues to appeal to residents and the authorities to play their part in reporting and bringing perpetrators to account for the major disruption caused by the actions of thieves.

The company also listed motor vehicle crashes as a major contributor to the damage of street lights and has called for greater caution along the roadways to prevent inconvenience to customers, particularly during the Christmas season when there is usually a spike in collisions.