JACKSON (right)

The high number of cyclists traversing the Portmore leg of Highway 2000 has irked Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who has instructed that measures be put in place to address the problem.

Paula Fletcher, executive director of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), said a study done by the Toll Authority recently found that over 300 cyclists travel on the high-speed, six-lane highway per month, despite a regulation which makes the practice illegal.

"The matter was brought to the Prime Minister and she said something has to be done about it," Mrs. Fletcher told The Gleaner.

"It appears as if there are plans to retain the old causeway bridge and to use some of the existing pathways on either side to sort of provide a path for cyclists which will separate them from the traffic," she revealed.

However, Trevor Jackson, managing director of Trans-Jamaican Highway, which operates the toll road, said yesterday he was aware of discussions to address the problem with cyclists using the road. But Mr. Jackson said he was unaware of a definite plan to fix the situation.

Since the announcement that the new highway would replace the Portmore Causeway, residents and fisherfolk along the narrow stretch of land which separates Hunts Bay from the sea have raised concerns about access to the fishing village. But many ignore the warnings and brave the danger of being killed by motor vehicles travelling at speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour.

Road crashes

In launching activities to mark Global Road Safety Week, April 23-29, Mrs. Simpson Miller pointed out that road crashes were the second leading cause of premature death and ill-health worldwide, next to HIV/AIDS. She said based on forecasts by the World Bank, the current trend could place it as the leading cause.

The Prime Minister stressed that prevention is the only solution to curbing road crashes. However, despite the limited resources, she noted that the Government - through the NRSC - is increasing the awareness of the public in an effort to reduce such incidents.

As a result of these measures, she pointed out that child pedestrian fatalities were reduced by 50 per cent in 2004. Police statistics supplied by the NRSC show that 361 people died as a result of motor vehicle crashes last year.