MINISTER for Infrastructure Stephenson King has responded to the National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT) after the NCOPT subtly pointed out, this week that the government was failing to address the road conditions in Saint Lucia.
“Almost weekly we get the complain of drivers losing (their) tyres… amongst other things. They cannot buy ordinary tyres… they have to go for (a) higher grade,” Spencer Mc Phee, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NCOPT said on Wednesday.
Mc Phee, who appeared on ‘News Maker Live’ (NML), said the situation was compounded “by the quality of material being used in the potholes before asphalt is laid; I’m talking about the gravel, they actually penetrate our tyres , so it’s a nuisance.”
According to him, members are “barely surviving” and will meet in the near future to discuss the way forward.
But is the NCOPT a little too lenient with government? That is the question NML host Timothy Poleon posed minutes after the interview commenced.
As for why the situation is being ‘tolerated’, Mc Phee said “I think you would appreciate the fact that we try our best not to be confrontational with any government. We try to do things (in a) cordial (manner). We try to write and dialogue… so we’re at a stage now where we are collecting information from our members. The executive wants to meet and then we’re going to meet the general body and decide the way forward.”
Members have almost reached a breaking point, according to Mc Phee.
“Hopefully (we should meet) next week as an executive body and then take it from there… we do not want to go by word of mouth …. so we have things documented… we can do a site visit to see for ourselves…,” he said.
The NCOPT is yet to meet with the Minister for Infrastructure. Asked whether the Council has demanded a meeting with Infrastructure Minister Stephenson King, Mc Phee said “to be honest we do not make demands from any government. We ask for what we deserve… and we are (understanding but) I think we’re on the verge of reaching the breaking point.”
“At present the government (and) the minister by extension is aware that the roads are deplorable and they will admit it. It’s not just minibus drivers pushing for better roads so we’re hoping by the time we collect the information we need and we meet with the minister and his team we can present something palatable (to) him,” Mc Phee added.
He told the NML host there are “some pot holes… where you don’t expect and they’re huge they’re like craters. The situation is not good, it affects productivity.”
Whilst the Minister for Infrastructure has welcomed the concerns of the NCOPT, he said he would like the NCOPT to address issues pertaining to minibus operators “who were violating the laws which govern the operation of public transportation in Saint Lucia. I would like them to address those issues… we all know that the road conditions are not good but they must also be honest and address the issues (that) are confronting them.”
The minister also provided an update on the Millennium Highway Project.
“The contractor as I indicated before encountered some issues and was forced to allow their workers to be laid off to allow them to organize themselves and get the necessary resources to get back onto the project. On Friday last week we met with the contractor, consultant and the project office and we were satisfied that they have put all systems in place and promised to return to work on Monday which they did… They have given us a commitment that the project will finish in March of 2024,” he said.