THE CONTROVERSY dogging the Portmore leg of Highway 2000 could or should have been avoided with adequate pre-planning. To begin with, the relatively simple matter of relocating the fishing village from the vicinity of the Causeway bridge was the first indication of operational bungling.
The highway developers moved the fishermen to an alternative location only to have the Port Authority serve them eviction notices on the ground that the land is owned by this government agency and is part of future development.
Hard on the heels of that fiasco Portmore residents are now up in arms about payment of toll charges when the new six-lane bridge linking the highway to Kingston becomes operational.
On the face of it, the residents of Portmore may feel that any toll imposed will more than double transportation expenses for these who commute to work in Kingston; unless they avoid the new bridge and opt for the longer route via the Mandela Highway.
The reality, however, is that the sheer volume of vehicular traffic between Portmore, Spanish Town and Kingston has dictated the upgrading of the road network.
The new highway is being built at great cost some $6 billion. The apparent success of the first toll facility for the highway segment bypassing Old Harbour would have encouraged the developers about the revenue prospects.
In keeping with this new reality in the public transportation sector a Toll Roads Act has been enacted by Parliament. The provisions stipulate how the very issues now snarling this aspect of the highway project should be dealt with among them, routes alternative to the toll road and consultation with members or the public and interest groups.
The agency established under this Act is ultimately responsible for regulating the tolls that should be charged. In performing this function we think it would be useful to ascertain how these matters are determined elsewhere in the region where toll roads operate. The current impasse involving emotional outbursts and threats of roadblocking should be approached with professional detachment rather than highhanded attitudes.
To the extent that modern highways are to become a part of the public transport sector, tolls will be a reality to which the motoring public must be persuaded to adjust. Administration of this new facility must be done with fairness and equity.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
