HANOVER, Jamaica — Councillor for the Sandy Bay division, Andria Dehaney Grant on Thursday welcomed the commissioning of Hanover’s first traffic signal, which was installed on the Oceanpointe section of the Northern Coastal Highway.

She noted that the stretch of road is an accident hotspot and the traffic light will assist in curtailing such incidents.

The lights, which are located on the highway at the entrance to the Oceanpointe residential development, were paid for by the property developer, Scenic Ltd and installed by the National Works Agency (NWA) at a cost of approximately $13 million.

“I’m sure that you know that this stretch of roadway has taken the lives of many. We have had many accidents on this roadway and these lights will be able to monitor the movement of the traffic in this area and this will be a success for us,” said Dehaney Grant.

“Having a traffic signal light in the parish shows that development is happening in our parish and it is a move in the right direction,” added the councillor who was addressing a short ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Oceanpointe residential development.

The town of Lucea is slated to celebrate its 300th anniversary next year and Dehaney Grant is of the view that the installation of the lights comes at an opportune time.

Dehaney Grant, who is also the deputy mayor of Lucea, said that lights are also needed in the town of Lucea.

“We would love to have some traffic signals in Lucea as well for us to monitor the traffic in the town. I am sure that all of us who passed through the town would have known how hard it is at this time. So I know that those signals will also help to make it better for the people in Lucea as well,” she said.

Operations manager and in-house lawyer for Infinite Concrete Limited and Scenic Ltd, Gabrielle Grant, said residents of the 430-unit housing development have been calling for the lights.

“We are happy to have been able to put up the stop light because our residents have been asking for it for some time given that it is a high-speed area and they have been having concerns about their safety. So, I am very happy that this day has finally come,” Grant said.

On Wednesday, community relations officer for the NWA’s Western Region, Janel Ricketts, stated in a press release that the traffic signals will not only help to improve the safety of residents of Oceanpointe, but also the wider public who traverse the heavily-trafficked roadway.

READ: Hanover to receive first traffic signal

Additionally, Ricketts stated that the signal will also improve pedestrian safety, by separating vehicular and pedestrian movement. Pedestrians will now be able to activate the pedestrian signal through a push-button activated system, which will indicate when it is safe to cross. Pedestrians are being encouraged to make use of this feature.