Commuters travelling between Port-of-Spain and St James will have to face an increase in the taxi fare if the new traffic plan for St James is not changed back to two-way traffic soon. That was the warning sent yesterday by Edwin Jones, head of the St James Taxi Drivers Association, at a press conference at the office of the Member of Parliament for the area, Marlene McDonald, on Finland Street, St James.
Jones, who said he usually worked short drops from St James to Bournes Road, said members of his association had been complaining about the loss of wages as a result of the new traffic arrangement and they had decided the only way to make more money was to raise the taxi fare. He said it was difficult for him to contain his emotions about the situation as it affected his family life.
He added: "In respect to the fares that (an increase) coming if this continues, they can't get away from that. "The guys (taxi-drivers) working one way. They driving one way full the other way they have to scrape. "They have to dance between streets and hope you get somebody to go in town because there is nothing set in place for taxi drivers," he said.
He complained the Government was not considering the views of the residents or the businessmen and added the traffic plan had been implemented without any type of consultation. Jones said the plan also would create more crime in the area because people were now becoming desperate to make ends meet and thieves had easy access to leave the area.
He added: "People getting assaulted waiting on transport because it is too dark and you have to wait too long to get a taxi. "It done start already...people getting robbed...businessess getting robbed at the side of the road...doubles people, fruit people. They will come for me. Taxi-drivers are easy targets."
Even though he does not work the Port-of-Spain to St James route he said he was losing at least $100 a day. Jones added that only the Diego Martin maxi-taxis were benefitting from the new plan. He also questioned the decision to take out the humps which were at the front of Mucurapo Boys RC School as that would pose a serious danger to the students. He said the humps had been put in because a child had been knocked down by a car in front of the school.
"You just come and just move from in front of that school two humps because you want the west to be moving free," he said. He added: "If the plan continues children will be harm's way. "If this plan continue, children will die. Trinidad and Tobago's children going to die in St James, Ariapita Avenue and Tragarete Road."