A.W. SangsterTHE UPGRADED Hope Road was officially opened last Sunday, October 1, by Minister Peter Phillips with his Minister of State Dean Peart and West Indies Home Contractors Manager Joseph A. Matalon as part of the entourage. The Minister is quoted as saying that he hoped the road would not become a speedway.
The road is well constructed and the palms and plants as part of the landscape will in due course make it a handsome boulevard unless it becomes inundated with stalls and vendors as is already happening. The finishing touches are being put on the job and it is important that the drains be properly seated and sealed. Some are still to be levelled with the asphalt surface. I still wonder whether the underground water run-off drain will be able to handle the volume in really heavy rain and also whether there can be a blockage problem if there is not proper maintenance. Time will tell on this one.
Having made these positive comments on the construction aspect of the project, I must now turn to the design side and note that there are some serious flaws in the design. Early on I brought some of these to the attention of Mr. Joseph A. Matalon and he agreed that there were some weaknesses in the design, but that he was building according to the designs that West Indies Home Contractors had been given. I address my major concerns.
(1). The area at and leading up to Matilda's Corner. Some concerns are the following:
Pedestrian Crossings. There are no crossings at the four intersections, neither at Matilda's Corner nor in crossing from the Sovereign Centre to the Post Office or to Courts. All these crossings are pedestrian nightmares.
The Post Office entry and exit: The design at this point has to be seen to be believed. With a lot of available land space the entry/exit is cramped and badly designed with the pedestrian walkway taking up part of the entry space. I have already seen a jam at the entry/exit with parked cars (mostly taxis), vendor's carts, the UWI bus leaving and cars entering. We already have one cassette vendor at the bus stop who blasts the neighbourhood. He should be removed.
Return North from the Post Office and Courts: For those who have to return up Hope Road the options are to go around Liguanea Avenue and Paddington Terrace or circle back through the Sovereign Centre. Most persons are doing the latter. The solution to this problem is to allow a U-turn at the Hope Road/Liguanea intersection so those drivers can go back up Hope Road.
No Entry to Sovereign Centre from Hope Road: This is another of the rather pointless restrictions. It cannot be that there are no turn-offs allowed on this road as there are already many. In addition drivers are already stopping at the side of the road to let people off who are going into the Sovereign Centre. The solution is to paint a slip lane into Sovereign Centre and cut open an entrance. The road is wide enough for this. The security guard with a barrier at the exit seems quite pointless.
The white streaks on the road opposite Sovereign and the Post Office: There are two areas where there are sets of white lines on the road on the section of the road leading to the right-turn lanes. These are confusing to drivers and normally are no-access areas. The paint should be removed.
(2). The second concern is the new right-turn restriction from Hope Road into Kingsway. This right turn on an arrow has worked quite well up to now. It means that people who live and work on this road will be required to go all the way round to Waterloo Road. It is a stupid decision and should be protested. The decision would seem to be in line with the current policy of limiting options for motorists characterised by what I have described as the 3Rs policy.
The policy seems to be based on the following: Remove options; Reduce access; and Restrict flexibility.
Urban priority
The Ardenne Road restriction off the Hope Road seems another classic example of this foolish approach. A large number of motorists, including government vehicles, ignore the blocks which are gradually falling apart.
It cannot be argued that allowing traffic one way does not make the Ardenne Rd./Hamilton Drive a major thoroughfare.
Clearly the Hope Road reconstruction is a showpiece for Minister Phillips and people like nice, showy things. There is, however, a more fundamental question at stake. It has to do with urban priority over rural needs.
The spate of roadblocks all over the country speaks to the appalling crisis in the national road system. Should the metropolitan people get this fancy road at the expense of farmers who cannot get their crops out or where children have no transport for school? Or even coming closer to home.
Try negotiating the right turn from East Street into Barry Street in downtown Kingston or struggling with the trenches in other inner-city roads.
A.W. Sangster is former President of the University of Technology.
