A resolution has been tabled in Parliament to compulsorily acquire seven parcels of land totalling over 20 000 square metres—or five acres—for the construction of a roundabout at the Windsor and Lower Greys Junction, which spans parts of St George and Christ Church.
The move comes in response to years of traffic accidents at the site, including a mass casualty incident in 2022 which resulted in some 25 people being injured, and forms part of a broader national effort to reduce collisions and protect road users, according to the Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance and Member of Parliament for St George South, Dwight Sutherland.
The site at Windsor, Brighton, is located 1.5 kilometres east of the Boarded Hall Police Station, heading east on Highway 5.
“This junction, over the years, Mr Speaker, we’ve had a number of accidents, incidents, and also road fatalities . . . . It’s a very dangerous junction, and I know . . . successive governments have tried to acquire this land, and this is 15 years we’ve been trying to bring some respectability to this problem,” he said.
Sutherland said the roundabout is part of a national approach to road safety, public health, and transport modernisation, noting that road accidents carry a social and economic toll.
“When you have these accidents, it impacts the health care sector, because we spend a lot of money in health care—and we have to do that, because it’s a right as well—but it also impacts the quality of family life . . . . So this resolution, though it may seem simple, is indeed critical to allow the smooth flow of traffic to enhance productivity as well.”
Sutherland described roundabouts as strategic and sustainable solutions.
“Roundabouts are not merely traffic tools. They are strategic infrastructure assets that support a broader development goal,” he said.
“The integration of traffic roundabouts has also proven a cost-effective and sustainable alternative that aligns with national infrastructure, transport, and housing goals. And why do I say that? The cost of a roundabout, the long-term maintenance cost—there’s no real long-term maintenance cost other than really beautifying the roundabout,” he added.
He cited international benchmarks that suggest improvements in roundabout use, such as driver compliance, could “reduce overall collisions by about 37 per cent, reduce injury crashes by up to 75 per cent and reduce fatal crashes by around 90 per cent compared to signalised intersections, and that is global benchmarks.”
Member of Parliament for St Philip West, Kay McConney, supported the resolution, describing it as “much desired.”
McConney recalled that “a little girl got knocked down last year” just “up the road” from where the roundabout is proposed to be constructed.
She said her constituency office has been in talks with the Ministry of Transport and Works, and there is a crossing that is to be put near the bus stop where that accident occurred.
“It is a thoroughfare, and I believe that with this roundabout, we should not only think about the traffic flow at the roundabout, but we should think of the traffic flow going into the roundabout, where people make the street going straight up from Brereton, coming all the way down—a thoroughfare in a significant way.
“I believe that we need to put crossings, not just here but generally where people are more likely to cross, usually near where bus stops are. That kind of crossing and care for traffic management will ensure that persons are safer and it also encourages motorists to yield, because when they can anticipate where that crossing is going to be, many of them will adjust their speeds,” she added.
Meanwhile, Sutherland revealed that another land acquisition is planned for a second roundabout at the Groves junction that leads to St Joseph, in a bid to “improve traffic management in this country”.
“I regret that we’re gonna have to come back to Parliament because we’re actively working on the resolution to approve the land acquisition to have a second roundabout, and that would be the one at Groves . . . that one should reach Parliament as soon as possible. . . . We have severe challenges with accidents in those areas . . .”
Sutherland also pointed to informal traffic volume estimates nearing 140 000 vehicles, up from 80 000 a decade ago, and said that smarter mobility—including park-and-ride systems—is in the works.
“So there’s a need for more park-and-ride systems in this country, and . . . I must also say that this Government has plans indeed, and you will see some of these plans being rolled out now, within the next couple of weeks,” he said, as he referred to the country’s upcoming hosting of CARIFESTA. (FW)
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