THE EDITOR, Sir:
I DEEPLY empathise with the plight of the Portmore citizens who will now have to fork out extra bucks to utilise the newly-completed toll bridge. The reality is that the bridge has to be paid for, its construction has to be paid for and its upkeep has to be paid for. In fact, $60 for 10 trips and a discounted rate thereafter is actually not bad by analogy.
Let's take New York's Whitestone Bridge for example, which connects two boroughs, the Bronx and Queens. Being a resident of the Bronx, one member of my family pays US$4.50 each way to get to work in Queens. That amounts to US$9.00 per day, which is roughly J$585 per day. We know what the weekly figures will look like, and there is no discount.
NOT FAIR TO COMPARE
One may argue that it is not fair to compare the two since the cost of living may be higher in Jamaica. That argument may have footing, however. It is clear that the Government will not retreat from its current rate. But, I offer a few suggestions to help deal with the toll controversy and to lessen the financial burden of the toll bridge on Portmore residents.
The first thing is that, given the projected revenues expected to be reaped from the toll bridge, the Government needs to set a timeline for the current rate. Once the loan used to build the bridge has been repaid, the rate needs to be reduced to a minimal maintenance fee or even end. Making it seem like a perpetual rate is in and of itself a burden to the citizens of Portmore. For the residents who will have to traverse this route daily, they can be economical with their usage of the toll bridge. For example, it may be prudent to use the toll bridge for work in the mornings to ensure timeliness, but they may want to use the alternate route on their way home. Surely, the amount of gas the alternate route will use has to be considered.
But, by far car pooling is probably the most efficient way of tackling the toll road issue. Car pooling has many benefits. Not only will it help to reduce the financial burden, it will also reduce traffic, air pollution and of course our gasolene bill.
I am, etc.,
ANDRE LINDSAY
dre_lin4@hotmail.com
Bronx, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
