Lucea mayor to discuss disorderly bus driving

Christopher Bodden, Gleaner Writer

LUCEA, Hanover:Lucea's mayor, Coun-cillor Shernet Haughton, says she will meet with the administration and operations arms of the Hanover Parish Council to discuss issues that have been raised about the disorderly behaviour of some minibus operators in the Lucea Municipal Park.

The aim of the meeting is to address the concerns of the bus drivers and to plot a course for arriving at an amicable solution for all parties who have varying concerns.

"Tomorrow, we are going to meet with the superintendent of roads and works and the secretary/manager. Some of the municipal police will be there, and we will be discussing the matter of the bus park and the issues of concern for the drivers," Haughton told Western Focus Wednesday.

Haughton's actions follow in the wake of an article published in last week's edition of the Western Focus in which bus drivers who ply the Lucea to Montego Bay route complained that some of their colleagues were causing chaos at the Lucea Municipal Bus Park. According to them, some drivers were, among other things, regularly forcing their way to the front of the loading line, loading their buses in the driveway, resulting in disruption of the free flow of motor vehicles through the park.

The drivers also contended that the long-standing problem has caused tempers to flare and has resulted in frequent quarrels. They also stated that drivers, their conductors, and their 'backup' men often harass passengers, hindering them from entering the buses of their choice.

"We are asking for some help to defend us in the line so everybody can benefit," Ned Brown, one of the affected drivers, told Western Focus last week. "We need some strong help from the parish council and the police (so) the police can empty the bus that loads outside of the line. They need to get rid of the backup men who are always there to tell you as you enter the park that (you should) 'take this bus instead of that bus' and that 'this bus will leave soon'."

The drivers were not alone in condemning the actions of their counterparts. Commanding Officer of the Hanover Police Division, Superintendent Lynford Rhooms, recently expressed concern about the behaviour of the errant drivers, who he said had no respect for the rule of law in the parish.

Residents have also contended that the council should make better use of the municipal police, who are employed to the Hanover Parish Council.

In February 2008, the Hanover Parish Council swore in a cadre of municipal police officers. Their duties include ensuring compliance with the local authorities' legislation governing, among other things, traffic offences committed by operators of public-passenger vehicles.

Their scope of work also includes the enforcement of traffic regulations, particularly those concerning private-passenger vehicles and assisting in enforcing the rules and regulations governing the operations of the Hanover Parish Council's transport centres.