Almost hit by car on Beach Road Today

[Kahuna3]

Beginning of Rant:
I was standing on the beach side of the road today waiting to cross to the garden side.
A van, approaching on my side of the road, slowed down – it was wanting to turn into the White Sands garden side. There was traffic coming from the other direction (from the North) so the van rolled to a stop. I was standing on the side of the road, the stopped van was directly in front of me and a car was coming from the other direction.
Suddenly a car sped up behind the stopped van and passed on the shoulder between me and the van, missing me by inches.

- the speed limit on the beach road is posted at 50kph – every car does at least double that.
- motorcycles come by at 150kph, all day long.
- cars/vans pass other vehicles when traffic is coming the other way, forcing oncoming traffic onto the shoulder.
- there is NO traffic enforcement on the road, its a free for all
- I saw a bus driver who was out of his bus to pick up chicken almost run over by a speeding car in front of Best in The West two nights ago – he had to jump to save his life.
- Jamaican drivers have NO respect for one another or for pedestrians; they think honking their horns gives them priority and safe passage
- the traffic situation on the beach road is ridiculous and extremely dangerous
- if I ever stop coming to Negril it will be because of the free-for-all driving on the beach road, I just hope my decision will be voluntary.
- I've travelled to many 3rd world countries - I think the driving in Jamaica ranks up there among the worst in the world.

Be extremely careful when walking along or crossing the beach road – your chances of becoming a statistic are higher than you think.

End of Rant

[Brian]

Agreed!

[Marko]

about two or three years ago wi heard all kinds of different kind of talk about meetings etc to curb the beach road stuff.......
Carey Wallace was a spokesman and there were a lot of people on the bandwagon including government.......
when I was there last month it took mi breath away how fast dem drivers were going.....worst mi ever seen it
but here wi are........and no sleeping policeman.........no lights......more accidents waiting to happen.......

Cool Runnings, Marko

[CarrieBean]

your chances of becoming a statistic are higher than you think.

End of Rant

Snipped

Kahuna, this is so true. Please be extra careful, people. Negril is beautiful...be smart.

[poolguywindsor]

You know I rented a car this time I was there, and have noticed very little traffic enforcement in Negril compared tto the highway in and out of Mobay. There are always spot checks and radar speed traps there!

[Jah Bless]

On a positive note, your time wasn't now,
Praise Jah!
If i were you, I'd go to that church right near there, on the main road, and count your blessings. Inches is too close.

[suzengrace]

Glad your weren't injured-as so far as I've heard no one else has been either during this busy season...Too bad that once again all this safety talk is exactly that "Talk"...but thats the way it goes.. I'm curious..maybe Rob would have some answers as to whats being done about safe roads, etc in Negril..He's been there for 20 yrs and is involved in the community esp with regards to toursits... What do you know as of now that's to be implemented for road safety Rob ???

[irie always]

While I was there -not so long ago - we were travelling back from Half Moon Beach in a van. There was 9 of us plus the driver - all chit chatten and enjoying ourselves. We were just passing the All Inclusives when the screech of tires on the pavement had us all bracing for the worst. It was so close that I thought at first it was our driver Leroy however we didn't have the momentum this type of screeching of brakes would give but I braced myself for the impact. Seems what happened was a car behind us was attempting to pass us when a van the other way was approaching closer than he had figured on. The van opposite to us was forced to take the shoulder to avoid what might have been a terrible head-on. The driver of the car was forced to smash his brakes on and slid back behind us. Maybe a 1/4 of a mile further he pulls over to pick somebody up. He was not a taxi but probably picking up a friend.
I am also truly amazed at folks cycling both on the beach road as well as the west end and somehow survive the day.
Thank God Kahuna3 you were spared.

[Fred Stripe]

This is what works for me on any street Kahuna......Fear.......A girl 5 feet away from me was hit & killed on a street years ago...Now I am very paranoid of crossing any streets and I deal with NYC traffic.

[Rob]

Glad your weren't injured-as so far as I've heard no one else has been either during this busy season...Too bad that once again all this safety talk is exactly that "Talk"...but thats the way it goes.. I'm curious..maybe Rob would have some answers as to whats being done about safe roads, etc in Negril..He's been there for 20 yrs and is involved in the community esp with regards to toursits... What do you know as of now that's to be implemented for road safety Rob ???

Kahuna - glad to know that nothing happened. Your venting is understandable taking in to account how upset and shaken the encounter had to make you. An idiot driver is never easy to take anywhere!

Suzen - There are several upcoming meetings scheduled to take place in the next month or so in order for the new federal government to let the local interests know what is in the works. The new government has been in office just about 2 months, so there have been no governmental meetings in the Negril area yet this year addressing this problem.

The problem with the roads and traffic accidents is an island wide issue. The government is continually dealing with this on an island wide basis. One thing that is a certain, based on the statistics, the road from Sav La Mar to Negril will be a priority as this is one of the trouble spots on the island. The beach road actually has a very low incident of accidents, but that does not mean that it is also not important.

To that end, the new government has re-established the local Resort Boards. They are made up of local interests in each tourism area, and address the local needs of these tourism areas. They act in conjunction with the government, and they determine how best to allocate the funds on a local basis. I have spoken with several of the members of the Negril Resort Board and the traffic safety is a high priority on their agenda.

As mentioned previously, there are several items on the agenda to alleviate the traffic problems. The previous government was prepared to begin the implementation, but as happens with governments from time to time anywhere, they created other, more pressing issues and ended up getting themselves voted out of office in a landslide election this past December. But those items are still the best ideas to date.

The following Traffic measures should be considered along the Norman Manley Boulevard:

1. Speed Humps.
Speed humps are raised devices, placed across the road to slow traffic. They effectively slow down traffic to 15-20 mph without making drivers uncomfortable. They are often considered the most traditional traffic calming solution. Speed humps slow traffic more gradually than speed bumps.

2. Textured Pavements/ Rumble Strips
Textured pavements are a type of surface treatment on a roadway, this maybe brick, concrete pavers, or stamped asphalt. Textured pavements do reduce travel speeds; however, they are difficult for bicyclists and some pedestrians to negotiate.
Rumble Strips are rows of raised pavements that can be placed across the roadway.

3. Raised Crosswalks.
Raised crosswalks are Speed Tables that are outfitted with crosswalk markings and signage, providing pedestrians with a level street crossing. It should be noted that by raising the level of the crossing, pedestrians become more visible to approaching motorists.
Raised crosswalks are good for locations where pedestrian crossings occur at haphazard locations and vehicle speeds are excessive.

4. Centre Island Narrowing/Raised Medians
These are elevated islands down the middle of the street. They provide a safe in-between refuge for pedestrians as well as an ideal location for trees, flowers and other amenities.

The raised sidewalks and medians would be similar to the ones as you leave Montego Bay coming toward Negril. This will help to eliminate the situation that Kahuna experienced. Passing on either side of a vehicle would be limited greatly. While Kahuna and PoolGuy suggest there is minimal to no traffic enforcement on the beach road, this may be the case during their short visit on the island, but certainly not true year round.

During this past holiday season, there were many speed checks as well as vehicle checkpoints on the roads all over Negril. They do tend to move them around, they will focus on one area for a while, then move to another area, then to another. There are no "regular" or daily enforcement areas. They tend to keep everyone guessing where they will be. Last month the road just outside Negril on the way to Sav was a primary focus. Just yesterday I saw a checkpoint right in front of the Negril Post Office on the West End Road. I had never seen one there before.

There are the ongoing educational programs running on all the local media, tv, radio, newspapers and posters. There is more regulation happening each month regarding the licensing of drivers, both taxi and private passengers. This is something that is on everyone's mind who lives here - we have to deal with it on a daily basis all year around. Jamaica is still technically considered to be a developing country, and this is part of that development as are all the other major infrastructure aspects. Things never move as fast as we all would like, but they are moving in the right direction.