Don’t blame us – says NWA
IRWIN, St James — A National Works Agency (NWA) spokesman says the authorities should not be held responsible for injury or damage if there is an accident involving motorists who choose to use a collapsed section of the Porto Bello main road.
The roadway — a section of which was washed away by rains associated with what became Tropical Storm Nicole — Don’t blame us ago but was illegally reopened by demonstrators on Tuesday.
“What is happening is that these persons (protesters) are opening up other persons to danger inherent there (roadway),” Steven Shaw, the NWA’s Communication and Customer Services Manager told Observer West by telephone yesterday.
“We as the works agency and the government won’t be liable for anything that happens in that area because we have effectively closed the road; the signs have been mounted there. We took all the appropriate steps,” Shaw said.
On Tuesday morning, a number of taxi operators joined scores of irate motorists who staged a massive demonstration in protest over the NWA’s failure to repair the collapsed section
of road.
It was the second time in just over a month that the frustrated motorists, assisted by a number of commuters, used pick-axes and shovels to remove the high piles of dirt that the NWA had mounted to block several sections of the narrow roadway.
Shaw recommended that those responsible for reopening the roadway should be prosecuted by the police.
“It is illegal, and the police are supposed to take action under the law. I trust the police will go there and do their own investigation and have persons arrested and brought before the court,” he said.
Shortly after a portion of the road collapsed last month, a motorist miraculously escaped death and injury after his motor car plunged into a stream which runs alongside the road.
However, on Tuesday the demonstrators argued that they preferred to risk travelling along the slender one-lane road than to use the detour route through the Irwindale community, where they say they are preyed upon “daily” by robbers armed with guns.
‘We prefer to drive along the one lane than to travel through the bypass and face the gunmen who come out both day and night,” one demonstrator insisted.
Another protester recommended that the NWA erect signs and guard rails along the collapsed section of the roadway.
“It took them (NWA) approximately one and a half weeks to come and put up barriers, but what should have been done was to put up temporary guard rails, using bamboo or whatever,” he said.
The protesters also alleged that during a recent robbery along the detour route, a couple was “shot up”.
“What does it take? More people to be shot and robbed before they come and
deal with the matter? It
is total foolishness,” one motorist fumed.
Shaw disclosed that the NWA has started to design a special plan to carry out urgent repairs to the damaged roadway. “It is being treated as a matter of priority,” he said.