COMMANDING officer for the St Thomas Police Division, Deputy Superintendent Rohan Ritchie has announced that the leg of the Southern Coastal Highway which runs through the parish will see increased police presence as part of efforts to curb speeding on the recently constructed road.

The warning came amid concerns raised by Councillor Dinsdale Smith (People’s National Party, Port Morant Division), during Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, over the behaviour of some motorcycle delivery drivers attached to fast-food outlets in Morant Bay.

Smith expressed fear that the reckless driving by these motorcyclists could lead to serious or fatal accidents.

He raised concerns about motorcycle delivery riders operating in and around Morant Bay, particularly those attached to the recently established Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) located in the Morant Bay Urban Centre.

Smith told the meeting that residents had become increasingly worried about the manner in which some riders manoeuvre through traffic while making deliveries.

“We have one of the greatest franchises known to man, KFC, that has been newly opened in Morant Bay, and we have some very efficient delivery vehicles that utilise the road space with us. When they get orders to deliver from the Morant Bay location of the KFC I don’t know what drives them or what motivates them to take on the road the way they do but I can see crazy things happening with those motorbike delivery men in the future,” he expressed,

The councillor warned that the issue has the potential to end in tragedy if corrective action is not taken quickly.

“I’m asking, though, that they think and consider and be more balanced. And if your [police] department could help us to remind them — I don’t know which strategy we would employ, whether or not we try to have them in a forum and let them understand that they inconvenience other people as well and it could amount to fatalities that we cannot tolerate,” he said.

Ritchie acknowledged the growing problem and said police have struggled to effectively intercept reckless riders without creating even greater danger on the roads.

“It is serious, I’ve seen it in the parish. Our officers have made several attempts to intercept. And then, you know, the whole issue of chasing is prohibited because it causes the motorcycle to become a weapon that could harm somebody else when a police officer or law enforcement is on it,” Ritchie explained.

“And then what you find, and it’s a reality that I want to speak to, is that even if you take the registration plate, sometimes, most times, the plates are not registered to the motorcyclists. But when we do catch them, they are seized and prosecuted,” he added as he explained the difficulties surrounding the enforcement efforts.

Ritchie said the division will continue using public education campaigns to try to discourage reckless driving among younger motorists.

“I want you to also be made aware of the age group of those who are involved in accidents — they are young people. They are pushing the limit of the machines that they are driving, so again we are trying to do more public awareness and public education, trying to let them know that the reason why we drive is to arrive, and arrive alive.

“They are daredevils, they are young daredevils. At your age, at my age, we don’t go more than 30 miles per hour,” Ritchie said, drawing laughter inside the chamber. “But the truth of the story is that they are [daredevils].

“They can be a nuisance also, but we’re trying to sensitise them with public education. And people who ride motorcycles are the younger generation, and they think they’re made of steel…they believe that they’re made of iron, but we’re gonna do everything to try and fix that,” he added

Ritchie pointed out that while better road conditions — under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project — have significantly reduced travel time into the parish, this has also encouraged motorists to drive at dangerously high speeds.

“Especially coming in from Harbour View into the parish of St Thomas, the roads are good. And back in the days when I used to come through the parish to get to Reach Falls, it would take me from Harbour View to Morant Bay maybe two hours because of the trucks and so on, but now it takes me an half an hour to get here, maybe 40 minutes the most,” Ritchie said, as he underscored the improved driving condition with the Southern Coastal Highway.

“While we are on the issue of accidents, we have had four fatal collisions resulting in five deaths since the start of the year, and we can’t overemphasise to the motoring public that they are to take their time on the thoroughfare,” said Ritchie.

Councillor for the Port Morant Division Dinsdale Smith raises concerns, during Thursday’s meeting of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, over the behaviour of motorcycle delivery riders in Morant Bay. Jerome Williams

A section of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project in St Thomas being paved.