AS hundreds of motorists descended on the St Catherine Parish Court Wednesday to take advantage of the Traffic Ticket Public Day initiative, the move was met with both praise for the opportunity, and criticism of the process.

Earlier this week, the Court Administration Division (CAD) said it was launching the Traffic Ticket Public Day initiative at the St Catherine Parish Court, aiming to provide motorists with a streamlined and convenient process for resolving outstanding traffic tickets, while addressing a backlog of approximately 200,000 tickets in the parish.

In explaining the ballooning numbers, director of client services, communications and information at the CAD Kadiesh Jarrett-Fletcher told the Jamaica Observer that the backlog, which goes as far back as 2018, was partly a result of technical issues.

“This is stemming from the fact that there was a point where the system was not working as it should. So there were people who had paid their tickets and it wouldn’t come off the system, for whatever reason. Because of that, the court became a little cautious and reluctant to issue warrants for outstanding traffic tickets because we recognised that there were people who did pay, but they were still on the system. That, in some way, has contributed to what we’re seeing in terms of the number of outstanding traffic tickets,” she explained.

When the Observer visited the parish court, the operations, which began at 9:00 am, were progressing smoothly, with officials saying they were expecting to resolve over 10,000 outstanding traffic tickets and serve at least 4,000 individuals.

One motorist, who gave his name only as Prince, complained about the lengthy process, while explaining that he came to resolve a ticket issued to him from 2021.

“When I came I was told to go to courtroom four at 11:00 am, then they sent me to courtroom six. Then it was pure rigmarole and foolishness. You come to clear your name and get your record straight, that is why we are here, so why should we be here waiting for hours? They came on national radio and said we would be here for at least an hour, then more than an hour you are still here,” he told the Observer while waiting in the line to enter the courtroom.

This sentiment was echoed by a woman who gave her name only as Dyonnelle, who registered for the initiative on February 18, in an effort to pay an outstanding ticket she received for speeding in 2019.

“When I came and I showed them the e-mail, and court number three for 10:00 am, and they sent me over there, I sat in the court for over one hour, then they sent us over by court six for some time, then they took our names and sent us back over by court number three. We were over there until about 12:30 pm, they sent us back to court six… so the back and forth was too much and too exhausting,” she said, adding that she had been introduced to the initiative by a police officer who pulled her over.

However, for Andre Miller, a motorist travelling from Old Harbour, the process was seamless.

“I got a ticket from January, but I forgot to pay. I went and tried to pay the ticket but was advised the date had passed and that’s how I ended up here. I saw the initiative being advertised. When I came I was sent under a tent, then I went straight to the court, the judge gave me a $9,000 ticket,” Miller said, explaining that he was issued a ticket for failure to keep left.

Although not in attendance for an outstanding ticket, Cowando Nodle, a taxi operator plying the Linstead to Spanish town route, shared that he was pleased with the process and said the initiative serves as an encouragement for motorists to clear their outstanding tickets.

“The summons had today’s date on it, so those who were to go to Linstead court today, they were transferred to Spanish Town. But it has been a very smooth transition. When I went to see the judge, the judge was very kind and understanding. Whatever charges came I was happy to make it because it was not that high and it was not low; it was in my budget,” Nodle said, explaining that he was issued a summons from the Transport Authority in January for uniform violations.

In the meantime, Jarrett-Fletcher told the Observer that, to ensure efficiency, time slots were provided for registered motorists to be seen.

“It is not regular court where everyone comes for 10:00 am. People came for their 9:00 am and 10:00 am slots; people have come in and gone. We have dealt with more than 500 people already,” she said.

She added that based on the success of Wednesday’s traffic ticket initiative in St Catherine, consideration will be made for implementation in other parishes.

“The intention is to take this initiative to other parishes. We are looking at our data to see what the outstanding traffic tickets are like, and then we will make that determination on where we go next,” she said.

At press time, the CAD reported that 4,571 tickets had been dealt with up to 5:00 pm, with 5,346 left for night court.