Delroy Chuck
Our roads are in a mess. Most residential and rural roads now pose a clear and present danger. The Government should be ashamed but nothing these days can bring shame to a government that lacks moral compass and any sense of direction and purpose. If motorists were asked what they wanted for Christmas, I am sure their immediate answer would be better roads, no potholes and less congestion, but their hope will be in vain.
It is not only our economic, education, health and justice systems that are falling apart and failing to deliver even Third-World standards, our road network is decaying and endangering its users. To be sure, the government and its perennial supporters will point to the toll roads and newly-built highways to show its commitment to improving the road infrastructure, and the toll roads are really First World quality. However, the long-suffering motorists and pedestrians can give long lists of roads that have not been repaired or maintained in decades. Moreover, many well-used roads have become dirt tracks or riverbeds, and motorists, especially taxi drivers, avoid them - see, e.g. Tyrone's Watch on p. A8 of yesterday's Gleaner.
The problem of road maintenance has not been resolved. The Road Maintenance Fund seems to be used for other purposes or just not properly used. When this government decided to split road maintenance between the parish councils and the National Works Agency, wherein the NWA maintained the main roads and the parish councils the rest, it was a recipe for disaster and has not worked. When residents observe main roads being repaired and the deteriorating and dilapidated side roads remain unattended, there is justifiable anger and charges of bias and corruption. In fact, it is just not clear, even to political representatives, how the division between main roads and the rest is made.
Scarce benefits
In truth, road maintenance is another area where there is a fight and struggle for scarce benefits. Political representatives can plead and beg as much as they like, at the end of the day, if there is no money, the roads remain unrepaired. Still, in the allocation of scarce benefits, Opposition MPs are sidelined and, without the right contacts and threats of public demonstrations, their constituencies suffer. For example, the present Minister of State, Richard Azan, who is responsible for roads, asked MPs to provide a priority road in each constituency for immediate repairs. six months later nothing is done, certainly not in north east St. Andrew, yet in his constituency over 19 roads are being repaired. Presently, in some constituencies, significant road repairs are done while others, especially in northern St. Andrew, are just neglected.
Road repairs and maintenance contracts need urgent supervision and oversight. The citizens are simply not getting value for money. These contracts, especially from central government, are usually given to the genetically-connected and are rarely done efficiently and professionally. Most of the repairs do not even last six months. As soon as the rains come or heavy-duty vehicles use them, the repaired roads quickly lose the thinly laid asphalt surfaces and rapidly develop potholes. If our government really meant the citizens well, it would ensure that these road contracts are carried out professionally, and the repairs guaranteed for at least two years.
Interestingly, I have noticed in north east St. Andrew that road repairs done by KSAC-selected contractors are done properly while roads done by contractors appointed by central government authorities are hastily and sloppily done. This anomaly I have pointed out in my constituency newsletter and brought it to the attention of the authorities, but I doubt any corrective action will be taken. In the pursuit of a fifth term, the present government will ensure its partisan supporters get well-endowed contracts, even if value is not given and the terrible road conditions resurface soon after.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.
