THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WISH to highlight the terrible road conditions in the parish of St. Elizabeth, with emphasis on the parochial roads. The citizens, including the farmers and the taxi operators, are greatly concerned about the state of these roads. The farmers are mostly affected by the bad road conditions. With the roads in this state, the farmers are unable to take their produce to the local markets, hence, they lose money when the produce is not being sold.
The taxi operators complain of having to fix their cars weekly due to the 'river track-like' roads that they have to utilise. The taxi service is gravely hampered when the need arises to take the sick and elderly to the doctor or the hospital. I know of an occasion where a sick elderly lady had to be carried from her home by her relatives about a quarter-mile to the taxi because the car could not get to her home.
The St. Elizabeth Parish Council has been lobbying the Central Government for funds to maintain these roads in north-east, southeast, north-west and south-west St. Elizabeth but all the lobbying has fallen on deaf ears. Having the highway is one thing, but the people of St. Elizabeth deserve better roads, especially since this parish is known as the breadbasket of the nation, and is one of the fast developing parishes.
I am, etc.,
THEOPHILUS JACKSON
tajjacko@yahoo.co.uk
Student, University College of the Caribbean (UCC)
