Letter of the Day | Is road traffic enforcement being carried out fairly and transparently?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

On October 15, after passing through the Vineyards Toll Plaza in Bushy Park, St Catherine, while travelling towards Kingston, I was stopped by police officers who appeared to be conducting a traffic enforcement operation. Personnel were positioned on both sides of the roadway.

After presenting my driver’s licence, I observed an officer writing in a book against the front of my vehicle. I was not told what was being recorded. An individual who appeared to be an Island Traffic Authority (ITA) representative then informed me that the tint along the bottom of my windscreen was prohibited and threatened to remove my registration plates.

I acknowledged the explanation and immediately cooperated by removing the tint. However, I questioned how I would continue my journey and collect my children without registration plates. Thankfully, the officers eventually allowed me to retain them.

I accept that motorists must obey the Road Traffic Regulations, 2022. My concern is the proposed removal of my plates without a clear explanation of the legal procedure or whether a certificate of defects was being issued. My vehicle is a relatively new 2026 model with valid fitness documentation, although I understand that this does not exempt me from tinting regulations.

I also question the circumstances under which enforcement operations are conducted at toll plazas. In all my years of living in Jamaica, I cannot recall seeing such an operation. Are these checkpoints authorised, and what procedures govern them?

I am not asking for motorists to be exempt from the law. I am asking for transparency, professionalism, and accountability in its enforcement.

I respectfully urge the relevant authorities to clarify the legal basis for removing registration plates in such circumstances and the rules governing roadside enforcement at toll plazas.

CONCERNED MOTORIST

Clarendon