THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WISH to add my few sentiments to the much publicised toll debate. The prime minister in his address at the official opening of the new segment said: "if you can't afford the toll, please use the old road".
I wish to open Mr. Patterson's understanding to a much wider scenario. We continue to divide the country into one system for the rich and one system for the poor. The old road will be the road for the poor and the new road for the rich. What we have started to do is to marginalise a section of the society saying to them this is too good for you. As long as we continue to do this we will always need millions of firearms, hundreds of policemen, thousands of security gadgets, to protect us from our bothers and sisters in the other section of the country.
Think of someone who lives in Sandy Bay, Clarendon, works in Kingston six days each week for a take home salary of $40,000 per month. His toll bill alone could account for 20 per cent of his salary. He has not yet bought petrol, food, paid his mortgage or any of the other bills one is required to pay on a monthly basis.
Every day one hears through the media how much savings will result from using the toll road. The toll road will only take you a part of where you are going in any case and after that you are back to bad roads, traffic jams, potholes and the rest of it. Why can't the toll be reduced from $160 to $100 and let the forces of demand and supply work out the difference?
Can Mr. Patterson allow us to drive pothole-free on the old road as on the new? Why should we be paying for motor vehicle licences and swerving to avoid potholes on major thorough fares?
I am, etc.,
ALFRED PEART
fred_mich2000@yahoo.com
Manchester
