Do we need to reinstitute the PWD?
Dear Editor,
Years ago road maintenance used to be done by the Public Works Department (PWD), a branch of local government that was responsible for road maintenance.
That department of government was abandoned some time ago, which was a bad move because road fixing nowadays takes too long to get going. All across the island you find deteriorating roads but very little or no attention given to repairing them. Pot holes that could have been fixed in the early days of their long lives are ignored until the roads are destroyed and traffic is reduced to just a crawl.
Government has to do better.
I suspect that damage to motor vehicles caused by bad roads and the cost of laying new roads are not making good economic sense. Also, time delays in traffic puts a dent in productivity and the economic efficiency of the entire country. A case of penny wise and pound foolish is certainly applied here.
Many crashes and loss of lives have also been caused by bad roads. Government must consider a different model for road maintenance or bring back the PWD.
Pete C Smythe
smythepchurchill@gmail.com