Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

A section of the road which prompted taxi drivers in Islington to withdraw their services last Monday. - Photo by Nedburn Thaffe

Taxi drivers who operate along the Islington main road in St. Mary are back on the job following a protest against the deplorable road conditions.

The operators withdrew their service on Monday in an effort to see some measures taken by the relevant authorities to curb the problem. They said they had been forced to put up with the poor road conditions for the past two years.

The drivers complain that the road had badly deteriorated and despite many pleas for assistance from Dr Morais Guy, member of parliament for the constituency, the problem had not been solved.

Taking Frustrations to the street

According to one taxi operator, their cup overflowed last Sunday, March 2, at an association meeting when efforts to make contact with Guy proved futile. They decided to take their frustrations to the street and withdrew their service all day Monday to see if any actions would be taken to effect improvements..

When The Gleaner contacted Dr Guy, he stated that he was well aware of the condition of the Islington main road. He said that work was being carried out by the National Works Agency last year to improve situation, but had stopped.

The MP added, "My understanding is that they have run out of funds."

Some areas patched

He said there were areas that were patched but the recent heavy rains had make matters worst.

Guy noted that measures would be taken to fill some of the major holes with marl in an effort to temporarily ameliorate the situation. However, he noted that there were areas that would have to be asphalted, but these would have to wait until there were sufficient funds to do so.

In the meantime, the taxi operators say they will launch another protest come Monday, March 10, if no measures are taken to improve the road.