Dear Editor,
Being a geographer, I am cognizant that development comes with a price. Although I might add, that development does not occur in a vacuum. It has long been established that development must have a human face, however, this has not been the experience of the residents of Jonestown, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara. While the residents welcome the reconstruction of the Lima Bridge on the Old Road, it has come with a high price and little regard for them and other road users.
Listed below are some annoyances that will suffice to elucidate this concern:
1. The project commenced without any notification to road users and residents.
2. There is no sign erected, say half a kilometer ahead on both sides of the bridge, notifying road users of the closure of the bridge for reconstruction.
3. There are no reflectors in place to caution road users at nights.
4. There is no billboard indicating who is the contractor, the cost of the construction and the completion date for the bridge.
5. There are no signs directing motorists to where detours can be taken to bypass the construction site.
6. Many motorists who were not aware of the reconstruction, drove up to the site, discovered that the bridge was not in use, having to turn around and inquire from passersby what alternative route to take to get to their destination.
7. For vehicles to get to pass the site, the drivers must use Sari Turn Dam, Lima Dam and two streets – a distance of about 1,000 metres. By the time this project is completed, the already bad Sari Turn Dam will get worse and will then need remedial works.
8. Due to the above (7), several Mahaica minibuses refuse to drive on the Old Road, thereby adding further inconvenience to the residents of Jonestown, who now either have to walk half a mile to the junction by the Mahaica Police Station or junction of Lima Dam and the New Road to catch a bus.
9. The flimsy rail that was attached to the foot bridge at the construction site now lies in the trench below. Without the rails, this slapdash footbridge scares the elderly and is unsafe for use by the pupils of the nearby Mahaica Primary School and Hand-en-Veldt Nursery School.
10. For over one month now no work has been done on the bridge and the two excavators that were once parked at the site are no longer there.
How much longer do the residents of Jonestown have to endure these annoyances due to this road bridge? Certainly, it is not an easy road. Meh nah see nothing fi smile ‘bout.
Incidentally, there is also another road bridge about 200 metres north of the Lima Bridge that needs immediate attention. Work was done on this bridge less than four years ago, when the residents experienced similar hardships. Obviously, shoddy work was done on that bridge.
Who will address the plight of the residents of Jonestown?
Yours faithfully,
Bernel L.H Wickham
