A maxi taxi driver was killed after struck by the driver of another minibus which was reversing at City Gate transit hub on Friday.
Wendy Wescott, 57, of La Horquetta, had moments earlier parked her maxi near the Maxi Drivers canteen and left to use the washroom facility around noon.
Eyewitnesses said as she emerged from the canteen and was returning to her vehicle, tragedy struck as attempted to cross the asphalt.
Another maxi which was reversing on the compound struck her and she was killed almost instantly.
The driver of the maxi said he was not aware she was behind his bus.
Wescott’s relatives were at City Gate on Friday, but after seeing her body being removed by undertakers, were too distraught to speak to the media.
President of Route Two Maxi Taxi Association Linus Phillip said Wescott was well known and loved by the community of maxi taxi drivers.
He said the incident was a “hazard waiting to happen” due to the lack of traffic management and enforcement within the transport hub.
Phillip said many of the pedestrian warning signs, including a pedestrian crossing near platform six, were installed by the Maxi Taxi Association.
“All them signs the association put them up, we spend money and put them up. All we are asking for is enforcement of those signs, and we not even getting that,” said Phillip.
“First when we ask for the enforcement they say it have no sign. We went out, we bought the signs and we put them up, all those road markings, those markings were done by the association,” said Phillip.
Despite the signs, several members of the public particularly during rush hour, queue up along the roadway within the transport hub to get maxis.
Transit Police are assigned to the City Gate hub, but Phillip said the transit officers faced serious manpower issues as well.
‘Transit officers, they get 30 officers today and by next week 30 gone,” said Phillip.
“It’s not attractive to people to come on board. What you have is like they use it as a stepping stone for the police force. That is what is being used for by most officers because most of them are transferring out to different departments within the Police Service.”
Phillip said the group had sent proposals to the Ministry of Works and Transport to overhaul the management of the transport hub.
However, Phillip said they got no response to the proposal.