News

Pedestrian Crossings: Civilised & Safer

Published

7 years ago

October 24, 2017

#TurksandCaicos, October 24, 2017 – Providenciales – In the Turks and Caicos, our highways are unique because they run through our neighborhoods. The two main highways are called Leeward Highway – which runs east to west and the other is Millennium Highway and it runs, north to south. Everything from schools to grocery stores, banks and churches, apartment complexes and houses, gas stations, utility companies, mechanic shops and day care centers, retail outlets, court houses, medical facilities, law firms to social services, pharmacies and restaurants line these major thoroughfares.

Yet, upon inspection, Magnetic Media is awed by the fact that there is not one single pedestrian crossing on any of these roadways. No not one in nearly 20 miles of road stretching almost the entire length of the developed part of the most developed island in the country.

While the argument can be had that the absence of these vital cross walks is due to the fact that the strips are ‘highways’ – the more compelling argument and frustrating reality is that there is nothing typical or traditional about our Leeward and Millennium Highways.

Our highways are home to homes and business directly. There are no exits to enter to access the services or one’s home. No, you pull off the highway right into a front yard or to turn into a neighborhood or you can park at the entrance of a school or daycare or drive right up to a business- directly off the highway. But to cross the whoppingly wide four-lane Leeward Highway or the frantically busy, two lane stretch which is Millennium Highway there is no civilized way to do so.

Every day, the missing crossings put thousands of people who make up both the walking and motoring public at deadly risk.

On Friday, October 21stwe got a case in point of the worst kind. The horrible death of a woman who was trying to cross the Leeward Highway, where there is no median, are dim lights and often the area is a vehicle speed zone. She was hit by a car, then rolled over by a jeep and died on the spot. The drivers both stopped, but the woman is dead and gone.

I wonder how many times this will have to happen before some remedy is introduced to make it safer for those living in these islands who have to walk to get to and fro.

It is a sickening trend where the planning of this emerging economy has obviously and irresponsibly disregarded the pedestrian public. Most people who live here and who visit here are not owners of a vehicle. There is no public transportation. There are hardly any sidewalks where the residential or indigenous populations reside, accommodations for wheelchairs is as rare to find in Provo as a mango tree and there are limited sidewalks across the island of Providenciales with virtually none for the home population.

In high tourist zones like Grace Bay and Turtle Cove, there are six pedestrian crossings. Four of them in Grace Bay, two crosswalks in Turtle Cove. Both areas are relatively small compared to the vast spaces where thousands of walking employees, senior citizens and students live.

Grace Bay has four cross walks, Turtle Cove has two and the Airport, which we tossed in just because – has four pedestrian crossings.

Down Town, there are two and one on the airport road. Glass Shack area has two for sure, there is one in the heart of The Bight near Ianthe Pratt Primary School; three in the Clement Howell and Oseta Jolly schools zone and one in Five Cays, at the Enid Capron primary school there. We tried not to miss any. But if we have, it is inadvertent.

The point of this report is not to tally-up the pedestrian crossings, because without question there are not sufficient of them anyway. The purpose here and our hope is to encourage us as residents and citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands to demand a remedy to the problem. Maybe highways cannot have pedestrian crossings. But we do not have real highways. What we do have is a real and deadly problem which requires rectification.

We cannot have thousands of residents residing in the largest populated community of Blue Hills/Wheeland without a safe and legal way to cross the street just because someone decided they wanted to name it Millennium HIGHWAY.

We cannot have thousands of residents put at life threatening risk when they decide they want to cross from a visit at the Cheshire Hall medical Center to their home in Plantation or go into the NIB for their benefit cheque.

We cannot continue to live in a society which disregards the fact that most people visiting ScotiaBank’s ATM live in the hugely populated Cheshire Hall district and will need to cross the HIGHWAY to get back home.

We cannot rest on our laurels as leaders in the various spheres and distance ourselves from the fact that a person with their grocery bags after shopping at Graceway IGA will need to cross the thoroughfare to get home to The Bight.

We do not have a hovering public, I mean people aren’t floating around. Everyone does not have a vehicle. Plus we say we want to encourage walking and activity to reduce the prevalence of non communicable diseases and there is a boom in exercising on our streets. But it is not safe.

I mean, if we are serious about creating a civilized, caring, healthy and safe society… then let us get serious and make the changes which will lead to a better quality of life for all residents of the Turks and Caicos – drivers and walkers, locals and tourists – because all lives matter.

Caribbean News

Agriculture Ministry Providing Two Water Trucks to Serve St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine

Published

11 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

#Kingston, Jamaica, April 24, 2024 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is to unveil two more water trucks this week, which will be used to service communities in St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

He also informed that of the $90 million earmarked to support farmers being impacted by the current drought, the Ministry will be providing additional support for storage and drip-irrigation systems.

“So, we have targeted about 600 water tanks and about 400 12-millimetre drip irrigation hoses, and that distribution has already started. Additionally, we have earmarked about $8 million to really help with our livestock farmers,” Mr. Green said.

“We know the difficulty that you’re facing now in this time; [it’s] very hard to get the right nutritional support for your animals. As such, we will be providing some hay, and we will [also] provide some trucking of water to you. Again, our livestock farmers, if you are in need, please contact the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and let us see how we can help in these times,” he further stated.

Mr. Green also encouraged farmers to download the RADA App, so that the Agency can “help guide you, not only in relation to what is happening on the rainfall side, but also in relation to your integrated pest management”.

“We do see some increases of certain types of pests during this time, and it’s important that our farmers are paying attention to that. It’s also important that you’re taking drought management seriously [by undertaking] soil mulching, looking at planting drought-tolerant crops, timely harvesting, implementing land husbandry treatments and contour ditches,” he stated.

Contact: Latonya Linton

Release: JIS

Photo Caption: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, speaking during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

Donald De La Haye Photo

News

“Mad Max” Convicted of Murder

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

MEDIA RELEASE

#TurksandCaicos, April 23, 2024 – Blue Hills resident KENDALL RONDRE DEAN has been convicted of murdering JOSHUA SWANN.

Mr. Dean, also called “Maddie”, “Mad Max”, and “Dre”, was found guilty by a nine-member jury yesterday (April 22nd) in the Grand Turk Supreme Court.

Following the verdict, Mr. Dean was remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison, pending sentencing on 10th June 2024.

Based on the evidence presented, Mr. SWANN of Five Cays was shot multiple times about the body on Sunday, August 8th, 2021, while at North West Point, Providenciales.

Mr. Swann was transported to the Cheshire Hall Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Detectives of the Serious Crimes Unit received a report, and following intensive investigations and interviews, Mr. Dean was arrested and subsequently charged.

Shortly after the verdict, Deputy Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams said, “This conviction demonstrates the RTCIPF’s commitment to bringing to justice those who cause the most harm throughout our communities using illegal firearms.

“This is an example of the effective coordination of the various units across the Force in supporting the lead detective in bringing about this conviction. The RTCIPF is grateful for the information provided by witnesses who came forward.

News

Airports Authority aims for 24-hour airport and announces Scholarship programme

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an attempt to move to 24-hour-a-day operations Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is steadily recruiting Air Traffic Controllers to work at the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport, according to Godfrey Smith, TCIAA CEO, reporting to the Appropriations Committee.

Speaking on April 8th Smith said a cabinet paper would be sent soon requesting six more Air Traffic Controllers to make round the clock operation at the Provo International possible and to open the airport in Grand Turk till 12 a.m.

Currently, 17 posts are filled and seven are vacant.

Smith was candid with his responses to recent industrial action from ATCs which led to resignations and firings.

“What we have to do is find systems to mitigate such actions and that has to start with filling these jobs, putting people in that want to work and doing right by people – and we always try to do right by our staff. Persons may not think that we are but we always do – we ain’t pick no fight,” he said in the meetings held at the NJS Francis building ahead of the National Budget Communication.

Smith indicated that recruitment was an issue across the board, ‘we need to find ways to recruit a little bit better’ he told the committee. Also in need of a push was capital spending or projects according to the CEO, who said the agency had ‘not been very good’ at meeting that mark but insisted they had recognized the issue and could do better.

A very important key performance indicator drawn up by the TCIAA is increasing passenger satisfaction at the Howard Hamilton International Airport. For the TCIAA part of this means a 30 percent increase in seating by Q2 of this year.

When queried on if they could even handle this increase the CEO said,

“The fact of the matter is we already have the capacity there. What we need is to make the service a bit better.”

Staff shortages have become such a frustrating issue that the TCIAA is instituting a scholarship program created by Authority Chairman, Selvyn Hawkins

“What the board wants to do is basically allocate $25,000 annually for a scholarship and they’ve approved it already.”

This process would cover tuition and all other costs for one student.

The student would return as a summer intern and other breaks to work at the TCIAA and upon graduation, assume a role at the company.

“We identify a particular skill we need, we go after it and we build capacity that is in a nutshell the nexus of the program,” Smith said.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is allocated $49 million this financial year; over $20 million goes to salaries.