The Sidewalks and Medians are being built on the Beach Road...

This was taken in front of Travellers Beach Resort this morning! There are more being built all along the road!

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Nice!:)

happy to see them being done but i wish they had started at the other end...arriving at travellers on tuesday :)

Here was what they were doing a few weeks back.

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Repairs to the sidewalks by the roundabout.

hey it's a start......the medians will certainly slow down the drivers for sure.......
the sidewalks should keep us out of the road now......well most of us......lol
both well needed for a long, long time now......

Cool Runnings, Marko

people will have nothing to ***** about pretty soon

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Originally Posted by mud

people will have nothing to ***** about pretty soon

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LMAO...so true!

The sidewalk & median work is happening in front of the Grand Pineapple also!!!!

I'm having mixed feelings about this. It is absolutely fantastic on the safety side of things, but sad because it takes away from what is the charm of Norman Manley Blvd.

Even tho I have my first trip still ahead of me, I know what you mean rinakim

That's fantastic.

Nice nice

Progress sometimes is sad. Walking the road won't be the same, safer, for sure, but not the same. I always liked the fact that Negril had no traffic lights. I have enough of them here! But, that's the way of progress.

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Originally Posted by Weathermon & Mi Lady

Progress sometimes is sad. Walking the road won't be the same, safer, for sure, but not the same. I always liked the fact that Negril had no traffic lights. I have enough of them here! But, that's the way of progress.

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I came to Negril for the first time in 1969........

Things change....BE HERE NOW

I wonder if folks had the same thoughts about progress when the highway from mobay to negril was updated.

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Walking the road won't be the same, safer, for sure,

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I am not so sure. Those 3-4" curbs will not keep all Jamaican drivers off of the sidewalks. Until the drivers are slowed down on a permanent basis, walking the sidewalks will be far from "safe". Sleeping Police, stiff penalties, arrests & jail time are much better deterrents than stoplights and short curbs. mho

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Originally Posted by Irie John

I am not so sure. Those 3-4" curbs will not keep all Jamaican drivers off of the sidewalks. Until the drivers are slowed down on a permanent basis, walking the sidewalks will be far from "safe". Sleeping Police, stiff penalties, arrests & jail time are much better deterrents than stoplights and short curbs. mho

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no such penalties will happen in our lifetime . . .

Wow... lots of changes. I've seen many through the years. This will be safer & that's a good thing. I will, however, miss the "old". As always, I will adjust. That is life.

I've been running on that road many, many years now & literally know the road intimately. From barely a road, to a pot hole filled marl road, to asphalt, to what it is today. I watched the road being striped, the reflectors installed (gone w/in weeks, if not days). Along Norman Manley Blvd. I know where the fresh marl usually can be found, where the pot holes are, where there's standing water when it's rained, where the trash cans are, where I can find water, when & where the parties were the night before, who works where, etc. I've embraced every change through the years. Change is the one thing you can depend on in life. I've learned it's usually good.

I think there will many vehicles hitting those medians for a while. So don't think you're safe standing in/on one.

Sure, walking Norman Manley won't be the same but that is the price when more and more people congregrate.

I've only been going to Negril for the last 17 years and it has grown much in that time.

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Originally Posted by rootsie

happy to see them being done but i wish they had started at the other end...arriving at travellers on tuesday :)

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I fully understand your concerns. I'm sure it will all work out & that you'll be happy at Traveller's. You probably won't be close enough to the road to hear any construction noise. There have been numerous accidents in that area through the years so please understand the changes are to protect you. You're so lucky to be Negril... tomorrow!!! Have a wonderful trip.

Now that I have driven in Jamaica several times I find the drivers in Jamaica are for the most part good drivers, but like anywhere there are a few speeding maniacs out there. No matter what it will be much better with the sidewalks.

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Originally Posted by Irie John

I am not so sure. Those 3-4" curbs will not keep all Jamaican drivers off of the sidewalks. Until the drivers are slowed down on a permanent basis, walking the sidewalks will be far from "safe". Sleeping Police, stiff penalties, arrests & jail time are much better deterrents than stoplights and short curbs. mho

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I agree fully-but it is some positive progress that will hopefully prevent another unnecessary tragedy to some poor soul...Yes, Negril is certainly changing-wonder what it will be like in another 10 years???

I'm glad Port Antonio has still kept all its old charm and not become anything like Negril is growing into to...But still, Negril certainly has many good-points and reasons for me to go back and visit-as i'm sure many other people feel the same way...

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Originally Posted by Irie John

I am not so sure. Those 3-4" curbs will not keep all Jamaican drivers off of the sidewalks. Until the drivers are slowed down on a permanent basis, walking the sidewalks will be far from "safe". Sleeping Police, stiff penalties, arrests & jail time are much better deterrents than stoplights and short curbs. mho

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Originally Posted by suzengrace

I agree fully-but it is some positive progress that will hopefully prevent another unnecessary tragedy to some poor soul...Yes, Negril is certainly changing-wonder what it will be like in another 10 years???

I'm glad Port Antonio has still kept all its old charm and not become anything like Negril is growing into to...But still, Negril certainly has many good-points and reasons for me to go back and visit-as i'm sure many other people feel the same way...

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This progress is not unique to Negril. Port Antonio has gone through its share of road improvements over the years - when I lived there in the mid 90's, it used to be a nightmare to try and get through PA - now it is a breeze with the new road and traffic improvements they have made. So much has changed there!

The sidewalks and medians in Negril are not 3 to 4 inches but more in the 6 to 8 inch range in height. The drivers will stay off them as hitting them will destroy their vehicles. The new traffic lights and medians will bring a notable change to the driving habits along the beach road. Once the work is finished on the beach road - focus will be on the West End Road. And of course law enforcement will be handing out tickets as the drivers get used to the new changes coming. We have seen some cars impounded even while the construction is underway when drivers did not obey the flagmen and "slow" signs.

For more details about all the improvements on the way, here are two articles from December outlining the plans that are already underway - one from the Mirror and one from the Observer.

http://www.westernmirror.com/index.p...link/5929.html

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/weste...egril_13201052

As stated, the issue has been in development for years. As with any major roadway infrastructure changes, there had to be the proper studies, measures and various solutions discussed before implementing any such changes. Improperly implemented changes can lead to other unexpected issues and problems that would then need to be dealt with.

Traffic control measures such as the traffic lights and medians that are in the works are much preferable to the speed bumps and humps being discussed here by some. As any city planner or road planning website will mention, putting speed bumps or humps on any major thoroughfare (which the beach road is) is not only impractical but also extremely dangerous. While Norman Manley Blvd is a major artery for western Jamaica, it is also used as an emergency route for the surrounding areas and to place such measures as speed bumps on the road is dangerous for emergency vehicles and should never be used. All knowledgeable city planners and road developers know this simple fact. To do so can cost lives instead of saving them.

As for pedestrians, there is still need to use the common sense practice of "stop, look and listen" and "look both ways" before you cross the street that we all learned as children.

Folks who are reluctant to change should remember, when you came to Negril the 1st time in say 85 the old timers then looked at YOU as change. Dang tourist are gonna change Negril.

I am in Negril now and staying @ Rondel and after 2 days we commented on how it no longer sounds like a race track out there.
I have walked to Shamrock @ least 6 times and they are definetly driving slower. I have only heard one screaming motorcycle speed by but that was @ 3:00 am.

As someone who was in the middle of an accident while walking, I welcome the sidewalks whole heartedly. Traffic lights are a necessary evil as traffic volumes increase. I know it changes Negril and the beach road, but Negril is so busy now I think it's needed. Hopefully it will save some young Jamaican lives on the road as well...

Happy to see this....now I don't have to worry about feeling that "wind" when a car passes within inches of me...always made me nervous.

More safety while walking is a good thing!

Sidewalks on the West End Road...now that would be REALLY good news. :cool:

Papa,

The sidewalks for the West End will be the focus once the beach road is done!

Good news indeed!

I used to walk the road from town back to the mid beach area...I stopped doing that several years ago and at my first opportunity I now cut through to the beach. Back in the day the pot holes were a good thing and kept traffic slowed down a bit. Once the "race track" was re surfaced and the traffic picked up it just got too scary....That feeling has been validated by some terrible accidents since the average speed picked up with the good surface...The beach road is about 5 miles long...If traffic moves at 35 MPh vs sometimes 60 MPH it saves all of about 3 minutes and the risk is not worth it..

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Originally Posted by Hussyband

I wonder if folks had the same thoughts about progress when the highway from mobay to negril was updated.

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not really...the old road really needed to be upgraded and it was....
it was welcome by all....truss mi....lol.....it just took too long to build.....lol

Cool Runnings, Marko

That looks awesome! :) Hopefully someday i will get back to see all the changes.