Jamaica Gleaner

‘It’s a danger waiting to happen’

JP calls for sidewalk along Felicity Road in Glendevon

- Christophe­r Thomas/gleaner Writer christophe­r.thomas@gleanerjm.com

ORLEN DEERS, a resident of Glendevon in St James, is bracing for a head-on collision with the St James Municipal Corporatio­n (STJMC) over his worries about the absence of a sidewalk along Felicity Road in the community. It is a concern which he says the authoritie­s have ignored for years.

Deers, who is a justice of the peace, told The Gleaner that the need for a sidewalk to adjoin the roadway is heightened by the potential danger of passing motorvehic­les to students of the nearby Albion Basic School.

“There is no sidewalk for the residents in Felicity Road to walk on, and for persons traversing the thoroughfa­re at peak hours, it is very inconvenie­nt. If a student is going to the primary school and is traversing along that thoroughfa­re, they are at risk, because motorists have no patience,” Deers said with frustratio­n in his tone.

“This situation has been going on for three years since the road was rehabilita­ted, with no sidewalk put in place, so the residents are calling on the authoritie­s to do what is necessary,” Deers added, “The school children and the senior citizens are the most vulnerable in a sad situation like this, which is a danger waiting to happen. A student and a senior citizen from Felicity Road were mowed down in a tragic accident along this thoroughfa­re.”

He was referencin­g to the 2017 deaths of 52-year-old Franklyn Hylton and 15-year-old Shantae Rose, both of Glendevon addresses, after a motor car plowed into a group of pedestrian­s along a section of Felicity Road.

Rose’s mother and sister were also injured in the incident, which reportedly happened after the driver lost control of the vehicle while attempting to overtake another motorist.

In addition to the call for a sidewalk, Deers also wants the authoritie­s to address a drain near his home which is creating a mosquito nuisance for himself and other residents.

“In front of my gate is a drain with a large cavity, which is a breeding site for mosquitoes, and if there was a heavy downpour, there would be flooding. For six years I have been talking about it, and I am tired of persons coming to my home complainin­g about the same drain. And even recently three senior citizens confronted me and was talking about the risk it poses,” Deers explained.

“When I write the letters to the relevant authoritie­s, they do not respond to me, they turn a blind eye. That is why I have to use this opportunit­y ... to get this to their attention,” Deers added.

PARISH COUNCIL ROAD

But Leeroy Williams, the mayor of Montego Bay and councillor for the STJMC’S Montego Bay North division where Glendevon is located, is rubbishing Deers’ claims.

“The road has been fixed and the drain has been cut underneath, and I do not see a problem there. So I do not see what the gentleman is complainin­g about. We have just fixed a new road to go up to Albion Heights and nothing is wrong with the main road, so I do not know what he is talking about,” said Williams.

“What he needs to do is that he would have to come and see me and tell me what exactly is his problem, because I do not know of an existing problem there.”

Meanwhile, Janel Ricketts, the community relations officer for the National Works Agency’s (NWA) western regional office, noted that the Felicity Road roadway is the responsibi­lity of the STJMC.

“Even though we do work there, Felicity Road is a parish council (municipal corporatio­n) road. We did some work there some years ago, but the road is very narrow there, so that is a part of the problem with the sidewalk issue, and it is the parish council that would have to address that,” Ricketts told The Gleaner.

In the meantime, Deers is challengin­g Williams to take greater responsibi­lity for overseeing his division, including Glendevon and the Felicity Road area.

“With all due respect, the mayor needs to come and oversee his area, because that is his area. I would not tell a lie on the mayor and the councillor­s, but they are derelict in their duty. You are accountabl­e to the populace,” said Deers.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? A section of the Felicity Road roadway near the Albion Basic School in Glendevon, St James.
CONTRIBUTE­D A section of the Felicity Road roadway near the Albion Basic School in Glendevon, St James.

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