THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE CITIZENS of Jamaica have read of the terrifying experience of Mr. Richard Walker (see Sunday Gleaner, April 13, 2003, "Trapped in gully water", pg. A2) and heard of the death of Pauline Grey, General Manager of the Shipping Association of Jamaica and St. Lucia's Mr. Lawson Calderson, a consultant, both of whom drowned in the Cassia Park Gully while trying to negotiate their way across.
The Cassia Park Gully, located in the constituency of East Central St. Andrew, has been the scene of many tragic deaths, which have been highlighted and only become a 'nine day wonder' to the authorities. I hope that this letter and others, written by concerned individuals, will serve as a reminder to the Minister of Transport and Works of the urgent need to establish measures to safeguard motorists utilising the Cassia Park Gully, and indeed, other gullies that pose danger to road users.
I am suggesting that the following measures be implemented to insure the safety of those people who have to access the gully:
A stoplight should be installed at both entrances to the gully, which would be regulated by a water level probe upstream, adjusted to a safe level that detect the height of the water 100 yards away from the vehicle crossing.
Steel bars, four feet in height, should be planted vertically across the gully with eight feet intervals between each bar. This measure will act as 'safety net' if the traffic light systems fail to function and in the event that there is a 'freak flood'.
In the long-term, a bridge should be constructed to facilitate the free flow of vehicles across the Cassia Park Road.
I am, etc.,
CLAUDE RIDDELL
JLP Caretaker (East Central St Andrew)
Kingston 5
