A dusty, potholed road is hurting residents’ health, damaging their vehicles and causing businesses to lose money.
And worse, there seems to be no end in sight. These problems are the result of the long delayed redevelopment of the Sayes Court, Christ Church road, say residents who spoke with the SATURDAY SUN.
“They could have left the road how it was; it would have been better for everyone,” was the cry of frustrated resident Erlander Clarke as he pointed to a large settlement of water in front of his home.
Clarke, along with other residents, said road repairs going on for over two years had heavily affected their community.
Citing several health issues as his major concern, Clarke said the road drain was incomplete and the well was not deep enough. Furthermore, the garbage piled up in the area is harbouring rodents, creating a stench and blocking the drain, which has led to mosquito breeding.
Because of the settlement of water, Clarke said he would not dare to drive through it because he was unsure how high the water was, and what potholes or indentations were there.
“I have to drive through the back road, which puts me out by the Skills Training Centre. It is really inconvenient to have to drive that roundabout way,” he said.
Similar action has been taken by the Route 11 ZR vans which transport most of the people from the area. The vans divert through Bournes Land to St Christopher to avoid the really bad portions of the road.
Resident Jermaine Harewood said having to take the road ruined the suspension on his vehicle.
“It is a lot of potholes that just mashing up your vehicle more and the longer they take to finish the road more and more potholes coming,” Harewood said.
He expressed concern for individuals without private transportation saying: “It is like walking through the swamp. People are suffering because the vans do not pass through and they have to walk to either end of the stretch of road . . . .”
Businesses are also crying out. One shop proprietor who commented before retreating to her house said, “Look at this road, look at this house. Them don’t feel people live out here?”
Edwin Denny, who owns Denny’s Bar along Sayes Court Main Road, said his eyes were badly affected by the dust. He said his wife was so badly affected by the situation there that she was no longer able to be in the shop after developing a lung infection.
“She comes occasionally to help out but that usually leads to bad consequences because when a vehicle passes you actually see the dust clouds rising and coming toward you,” Denny said.
While pointing to several electrical appliances in the shop, Denny said he has to be wiping the dust down every few hours.
The situation is so bad that “generally people divert from the area”.
“You do not see people from outside the district anymore. There are people that tell me they would like to come and look for me, but they avoid the area,” said Denny. (LK)
