Transport ministry targets unruly drivers
MINISTER OF Transport and Mining Robert Montague says the Government will be implementing a number of measures aimed at ensuring order on the nation’s roadways.
He said that “very soon”, video surveillance will be utilised to nab persons who disobey the road code.
In addition, an online page will be set up for members of the public to post photos and videos of unruly motorists, particularly operators of public passenger vehicles (PPV).
“Upload your clips so that the Transport Authority can take the requisite actions,” he said.
He noted that “these measures are not against the good taxi and bus drivers; it is against that one per cent that is problematic,” while calling on PPV drivers to help in ridding the system of those who have no intention of changing.
The minister was delivering the keynote address at the launch of the 2019 Jamaica Driver and Traffic Safety Expo at his Maxfield Avenue offices in St Andrew on Tuesday, where he expressed sorrow at the bus crash in Portland on Monday, which took the life of a student and caused injuries to several others.
Minister Montague commended members of the public and the police, who rushed to the scene and transported the injured schoolchildren to hospital.
He noted that the Transport Authority is rolling out a training programme for PPV drivers to ensure that persons are “equipped for the task and can properly qualify for their badges and drive in the best interest of the public”.
Montague said that the ministry is committed to continuing interventions to enhance road safety and reduce crashes, which have taken the lives of 171 Jamaicans since the start of the year and cost the country some $2 billion annually.
He noted that these include education, execution of road-safety audits and inspections, and installing the requisite road-safety infrastructure and features.