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!Originally Posted by suzengrace
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.
