Phillips wants dedicated fund for road repairs

Opposition Spokesperson on Transport and Works Mikael Phillips says the Government needs to move to implement a specific mechanism to fund road repairs across Jamaica.

“How can the Ministry of Finance continually boast about budget surpluses and growth, yet when asked about road maintenance the refrain is 'we just don't have the funds'. You will never have the funds required if we are only to finance our road maintenance from the Consolidated Fund alone. A dedicated Road Maintenance Fund is our best option to get us out of this downward spiral,” said Phillips, who is the Member of Parliament for North Western Manchester.

He was making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives today.

Funding for the Road Maintenance Fund, which was established by the Road Maintenance Fund Act of 2002, was previously provided by the Inland Revenue Department on a monthly basis, calculated at one-third of the total collection of Jamaica's motor vehicle fees.

However, in November 2017, Prime Minister Andrew Holness piloted a Bill in Parliament to abolish the Road Maintenance Fund and transfer its functions to the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation by March 2018.

Phillips demanded to know if any of the funds from the $40 billion road maintenance programme announced by Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke during his budget presentation will be spent on interior parochial roads.

Phillips charged that Jamaica needs a more productive and efficient transport system, arguing that the Jamaica Urban Transit Company requires 400 additional buses over the next three years.

He pointed out that while 200 electric buses are to be purchased over the next two years, that procurement will not be adequate to meet the needs of the commuting public.

“We already have incidents of stoning, and these buses are made almost entirely of glass since they must be light. There is also our road network, much of which is hilly and may pose a difficulty. We fully support the introduction of E-buses, but we must be careful with the specs,” said Phillips.

- Christopher Thomas 

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