Sorry, HL, but it only going to get worse! - Bike Taxis!

[Assasin]

2) DWI....ticket$$$

3) red lights ..ticket$$$

4) registration ...ticket$$$

5) Inspection ticket$$$

6) speeding ticket$$$$

Sorry to buss your bubble but them have this already but them all a ketch man with 50 tickets outstanding. Police only a stop some people.

You and X a go kollect the money??? .

We have laws but we need action, mi nuh care if them call them oppressor, babylon or whatever but these laws need to be followed and corrupted officals need to be sent to jail.

[HL]

Oh... I stayed in negril on this trip...and i saw the motorcycle riders. (i did not know they were taxis).

Those motocycle riders give the impression that there were no local traffic laws. I guess to the accustomed local eyes--that was normal road usage. For those not used to it...it was absolutely horrible!!!

[HL]

I was in Jamaica this past Fabruary with visitors (seeing Jamaica for the first time). The visitors was impressed by the beauty and hospitality of the the country.

Their only concern was the driving:

I fully agree with what X said.

QUOTE:
Jamaica does not have a clue how to solve a simple problem & rake in big bucks.

1) Parking on opposite sides of the street..ticket$$$

2) DWI....ticket$$$

3) red lights ..ticket$$$

4) registration ...ticket$$$

5) Inspection ticket$$$

6) speeding ticket$$$$

We have an antiquated road code system desinged to kill & corrupt, yuh know gimmie a something and yuh can gwaaan.Everyone that slips through is a danger to self & society.

Why blame the drivers , they dont make the rules they follow them

[Bricktop]

Long time...ever since JAMCO bike start sell...mostly in country though...

[Mosiah]

yuh can imagine when dem start race fi pick up di next customer? race gainst dem one anedda and di cyar taxi dem? living murdah!

even in Vietnam where bike taxis are common, and I have taken some myself, the helmet rule is a must! and dem nah put more dan one pon di bike. dem personal bike will carry di family, but not the bike taxis.

[Mosiah]

Illegal Bike Taxis Spark Safety Concerns
Published: Friday | August 10, 2012 0 Comments

Hare
1 2 >
The deaths of two motorcyclists in separate incidents in Negril, Westmoreland, on the weekend has triggered fresh safety concerns over the illegal 'bike-taxi' industry that is thriving in a number of western parishes.

The Road Safety Unit in the transport ministry, which raised the concerns, acknowledged that the two men killed on Saturday were not using their motorcycles as taxis, but warned that the practice was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Director of the unit, Kenute Hare, who was part of a group that was in Negril to distribute road safety tips to revellers at the annual ATI party series, said the practice was rife with breaches of the Road Traffic Act as in some instances up to eight persons, including children, were being transported on one bike.

In addition, he said these persons do not wear helmets and most of the 'bike-taxi' operators only have a learners' permit.

Hare said he has asked the Westmoreland police to swiftly crack down on the practice, which has been in existence for years.

"It can't continue. We can't have one section of the country flouting the law in such a profound and blatant manner and we sit by and do nothing," he told The Gleaner.

However, Senior Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis, who heads the Police Traffic Division, said the Negril police were aware of the practice but added that they were hesitant to pursue them because of the risks involved.

Pointing out that police personnel have confirmed Hare's claim of overcrowding and other violations, Lewis said he was in agreement with the decision not to pursue these illegal operators.

"Is all good to say that the police must take action, but if the police take action is a different thing," he insisted.

"If they pursue them and anything happen when that bike crash and you hear three or four or five persons are killed then you never hear the end of it," he said.

Assistance required

Lewis said the police have conducted numerous operations and have seized scores of motorcycles, but argued that the problem requires assistance from the political representatives in the communities where the practice is prevalent.

"Because it has now become a livelihood and although it is illegal, it is something the people in these communities depend on," he said.

Added Lewis: "This thing is a big, big problem."

The two motorcyclists, Roberto Jarrett and Fitzroy Higgins, both 19-years-old, were among four persons killed on the nation's roadways over the Emancipation and Independence holidays.

The others are 88-year-old Phillip McLaughlin of Windsor Castle, in Portland, who was hit by a car while walking along the roadway and 44-year-old teacher Novia Reid, who succumbed to injuries she received in a crash along the Melrose main road in Manchester on Monday.

The driver of the car that reportedly hit McLaughlin was taken into police custody while St Andrew businessman Shane Miller has been charged with manslaughter in connection with Reid's death.

The latest fatalities bring to 156 the number of persons who have been killed in motor vehicle crashes since the start of the year.

This is still well below the 190 recorded over the corresponding period last year, but the Road Safety Unit said four deaths over six days was still cause for concern.

"We should still be able to go under 300 (road fatalities for the calendar year) but it doesn't augur well for how we start the month," Hare emphasised.