Garth Rattray, Contributor
I TOOK my wife and mother for a drive to see what the expensive new highway was all about. The surface was remarkably smooth and comfortable. There was minimal road-noise and, except for one shanty-town-looking community, the scenery was relaxing and beautiful. It was obvious that a lot of money and effort went into building the thing (barrier fencing and all). The aesthetics was admirable and the signs were large and well placed. The entire distance covered was about 36 km and, at 110 km/hr, it took me 21 minutes to complete the journey.
The highway itself is infinitely safer than our regular roads because you won't face oncoming traffic or imbeciles that insist on overtaking long lines and around corners at high speeds. The new highway will save anywhere between 40 to 60 minutes (at least) and quite a bit of fuel. Internal combustion engines perform much better at a steady 110 km/hr. They are notoriously inefficient at lower and variable speeds. The superior road surface and gentle curves will translate into far less wear and tear on tyres and parts.
ANNOYED
The Prime Minister was obviously annoyed at critics for decrying the high cost of using the highway. He explained that there was a choice and that those who could not afford the new road could simply use the old one. He sought to put the highway into perspective and said, in essence, that it is a service that must be paid for and not a privilege. He used the opportunity to put in a word for those motorists that wish to travel on the highway frequently (at a cost $320/day return). Like many people, he suggested that there could be a concessionary rate for frequent users. It costs about JA$4.45 or 7.3 US cents per kilometre to use the highway [JA $160 61 (approximate exchange rate) = US$2.6. Divide that by 36 km (length of highway) = 0.073 US dollars = 7.3 US cents per kilometre], that's above the previously agreed upon maximum of 7.0 US cents per kilometre, which is pricey even by US standards.
The Pennsylvania turnpike costs only 2.6 US cents per kilometre. The Garden State Parkway costs a mere 1.4 US cents per kilometre. The Greensburg bypass costs 4.8 US cents per kilometre and the Ohio turnpike only costs 2.1 US cents per kilometre. Travel in Jamaica is already very expensive. Fuel is costly and we also pay exorbitant vehicle import taxes, lofty insurance rates, inspection and licensing fees plus big money for the repair and upkeep of our vehicles. Now, it will cost those who want to use the highway to commute into Kingston for work an additional $80,000 per year.
Keep in mind that the fees are linked to the US dollar and are subject to 'review' (increase) every few months. I very much doubt if the government will keep its promise to consider subsidising the toll fees if they became prohibitively expensive. I endorse the petition that the toll rate be lowered to $100. This would attract a much higher volume, which would more than make up for any possible shortfall from the reduced rate.
The new highway was constructed for much more than just the comfort, convenience and affordability of the elite minority. The high toll rate thwarts out-of-town development of businesses and housing, urban overcrowding will continue as more cramped communities spring up as close as possible to Kingston.
Our country will still sacrifice untold billions in lost time (hundreds of thousands of man-hours) and wasted fuel on congested roadways. Some estimates put the fuel wasted on crowded roadways as high as 50 per cent.
HEALTH RISK
Environmental pollution will continue posing a health risk since volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide are 250 per cent higher under congested conditions than during free-flowing traffic.
The old roadways will continue to exact their own high toll in human suffering and death because of traffic accidents. In other words, the entire rationale for the highway will be nullified as the everyday Jamaican is denied cheaper, efficient, safe and fast travel.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
