Reverend Barrington Soares (left), immediate past chairman of the Portmore Citizens Advisory Council, Michelle McIntosh, president of the Lions Club of Kingston, at yesterday's weekly luncheon of the club at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
MAYOR OF Spanish Town, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, says the St. Catherine Parish Council may be forced to revert to the use of a one-way system on the Spanish Town bypass, if residents of Portmore carry out their threat to boycott the Portmore toll road and instead use the Mandela Highway, in the event the rate is above $30.
Mayor Wheatley told The Gleaner that the council would have to consult with the National Works Agency to assess the impact of the threat by the residents of Portmore, and the possible impact it would have on the traffic load in Spanish Town and its environs.
BUILD-UP OF TRAFFIC
"The Portmore residents have claimed that they will boycott the toll and it is anticipated that there will be a build-up of traffic on the Mandela Highway," he said. "With the possibility of the highway being used more, we at the St. Catherine Parish Council need to revisit the use of the previous one-way system during peak hours."
Yesterday, Reverend Barrington Soares, past chairman of the Portmore Citizens' Advisory Council, warned the Government that the residents of Portmore would be carrying out their threat to boycott the toll if their request for a $30 toll is not met.
Speaking at a Lions Club of Kingston luncheon at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, Rev. Soares said the inability of Portmore residents to afford a figure above $30 would lead to the boycott.
He said a toll of $30 for first-class vehicles, which would work out to $15,000 a year if one uses the toll for two trips per day, five days per week and 52 weeks per year would be manageable. He, however, decried the idea of charging a $50 or $70 toll.
