Dear Editor,

Jamaica is paradise — unique people, food, music, and roads.

Driving, at times, feels like playing Super Mario, jumping and skipping around and dropping into ditch-like potholes, dodging obstacles.

A few months ago I managed to repair my vehicle’s front end; it cost me a pretty sum. It felt good driving and being able to not hear the knocking sound for the first time in months. Unfortunately, that quiet, cherished moment was short-lived as within the space of two weeks I dropped into a ‘crater’, undoing all the recently done mechanical work .

The frustration of having to again repair my vehicle within the space of weeks was financially depressing, a feeling many Jamaican drivers experience on a daily basis. This depression being further compounded by the lengthy process to get redress through our legal system for such damage.

Thankfully, my depression was eased with the news of the Government’s plan to repair roads through the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) and Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH) programmes. This news could not have been more timely.

The SPARK programme is a $45-billion initiative to repair between 600 and 660 roads in Jamaica. Wow! Never has this level of investment been undertaken to target our road infrastructure. The closest was the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP) implemented by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding. This is commendable and we must laud the Government for this bold step.

The Government will need to do more than just repair roads to avoid these roads being once-again destroyed. Entities tasked with managing our road repairs and maintenance will need to be more proactive. I have observed small potholes remaining unfixed until the entire road is transformed into a ditch! Why must that be the case?

There also needs to be greater coordination between stakeholders, such as private entities and government agencies, before roads are repaired. Too many times roads are fixed and days after it is dug up to plant wires or pipes. The delay in rehabilitating the road then takes months and sometimes is never fixed.

Bad roads lead to crashes, traffic pile up, delays, frustrations, economic loss, and an overall unproductive society. We must find means and ways to hold the respective entities accountable.

If we fail to do this, we will be in the same road quagmire in another five years or so. Let us get it right this time around in 2025.

Richard Delapenha

rdelapenha@gmail.com