MAY PEN, Clarendon — Frustrated that previous attempts to address the parking of taxis at the gate of May Pen Hospital have failed, the parish’s locally elected officials have called on the police to act. The police, however, have said they have done all they can within the boundaries of the law and solutions need to be sought elsewhere.

Taxis converge daily on the road in the vicinity of a bus shed located near the entrance to the hospital.

“The situation at the hospital gate is a total disgrace. I have had clashes with them and their behaviour there is just unbecoming. I am even proposing that we put up a concrete barrier to stop them parking at the gate. I support the point that the taxi men have gotten worse over the last couple of months and we need to call in the heads of the taxi associations and have some serious discussions with them,” councillor for the Denbigh Division, Joel Williams (JLP), said.

He was speaking during last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation.

Uphel Purcell (PNP, York Town Division) expressed concern about the impact taxi operators had on emergency vehicles leaving May Pen Hospital, as well as those seeking to gain access to the medical facility.

“I have seen several times where emergency vehicles are turning into the premises and they have to wait before because of the congestion in the area. People are impeding emergency vehicles; it does not look good. We have to make sure we lead by example. I am asking the police to pay serious attention as we cannot have vehicles coming along with the police and there are cars parked there; it will be chaos and it won’t look good. We have to make sure the area is cleared. I believe it is a serious issue and we cannot wait until an accident happens before we pay attention to it,” he warned.

In response to the concerns, Police Inspector Tedroy Clarke said the Clarendon Police issued more than 19,000 tickets between January and June this year, some of which were for infractions at the hospital gate.

“If we have issued so many tickets and the challenges still exist, it means that something else needs to happen. As it relates to the hospital gate, often times officers will stop, block the vehicles and ticket everybody. We are law enforcement officers, we can’t enforce what doesn’t exist. We don’t arrest unless certain dimensions of offences are committed so our hands are tied with minor offences, we don’t arrest for everything. We can do so much and no more,” he said.

Tanya Williams (JLP, May Pen North Division) recommended that bus stop be removed from the hospital gate to ease congestion.

Chairman of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, Winston Maragh promised to explore that option to determine its feasibility.

However, Councillor Charlene Benjamin (JLP, Palmers Cross Division) strongly objected to that approach.

“Every time we shouldn’t have to change something for the indiscipline of people. Some of them feel they have so much power they will tell you what colour clothes you have on if you try to speak to them about their behaviour. We need something stiffer than just tickets because you ticket a man today and tomorrow him go back to do the same thing,” she said.

Councillor Hershell Brown (JLP, Chapelton Division) spoke of the need to curb indiscipline in the country’s youngsters before they become adults. He suggested intervention at the school level “because the prospects for the future not looking great”.

Maragh told the meeting he was working with the Social Development Commission and an overseas partner to enrol youngsters in a 12-week intervention programme which is expected to bring about some changes in behaviour.