Declare war! Parsons questions govt’s spending on roads
Former legislator and cultural icon Eileene Parsons has proposed that an ultimatum should be put in place when it comes to the state of the territory’s roads.
While speaking on a radio show recently, Parsons advised that the territory should employ at least two good road engineers and have them work along with the Public Works Department to see a transformation of the state of the roads.
“If we don’t have them here, find two of them, pay them a decent salary and tell them ‘let me tell you something, within a six month time, I want to see progress on our road’,” Parsons expressed.
The former legislator also suggested that the government should hire more people to do ‘serious maintenance of the roads’.
“Let them hire who they need to hire – labourers, qualified workmen, whatever – and declare war on our roads and get them fixed. This is a disgrace for a territory that is touting tourism, touting how much money we have,” she added.
Tourists parting bush
Parsons said she was told this is going to be a busy tourist season that will also be very profitable for the industry and those who stand to benefit from tourism.
“For them (tourists) to come and be driving on the kind of roads that I am driving on, and to have the grass… on the scenic Ridge Road—The roads in the country, the scenes are so beautiful and to have to be parting bush for them to see, it sends a very bad signal to our people,” Parsons related.
In the meantime, Public Works Minister Kye Rymer recently disclosed that the government has pumped more than $5 million into patching the territory’s roads over the past three years.
Minister Rymer also noted that an upcoming road repair project which runs from Paraquita Bay to Trellis Bay is expected to cost about $10 million.
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All these things are the responsible of Kye Rhymer yet because we like him we let it slide. We are our own enemies. I like Kye too but he is not doing a good job. All the things under him are a mess:
Roads, bush, water, the market, that fiasco called economic zone in Huntums Ghut and I could go on. Don’t forget the traffic. That change is traffic was the worse thing ever.
Look, some elected have not been honest, clean with the people’s money and their execution of the people’s duties for that money.
Many helped themselves to much of that money. So, we all that is old news, but equall saddenning.
One said just last election, “others before me came and did, so i going in to do the same thing, so shut your mouth.” This was after an online conversation about corruption, government elected officals stealing government’s money..
Sadly, that person was elected and holds powerful portfolios.
The people getting screwed with a metalic drill with million dollar metallic spikes init.
How can millions be allocated for certain expenditures, and yet they just simply disappears in the air, year after year, budget after budget..
Our vehicles last but months, our back becme damaged, our ego issmashed and our pride for country dies, dies and dies..
You forgot that million-dollar elevator in the complex and how can you forget sewage?
While some of your comments are valid, I disagree. Over the last three years, Kye has been one of the few ministers who showed up to work and actually had an interest to getting things done while trying to address the issues.
….main street one way and the waterfront drive change up. Don’t forget the Ports MIA office situation too…?
It hurts so much to hear my caribbean friends in my face who live here over 20 years telling come to orwe counutry see orwe roads.We have engineers study about such now you telling me 5 plus mill to fix pot holes.People of the BVI get your heads out of your a** holes and see where this bull is taking us
Come VG our health clinic cant be co.pleted why?Govt. Put a container for fishermen/farmers up to now not a damn thing going forward.People of VG get your heads out of the clouds no rep/no sister island rep/no at large rep. So what no damn vote from me
(I could not understand that message. You need schooling boy.
This fanatic doesn’t have a clue…… we should stop all the perks you gave been receiving all these years. Hold tight don’t stress,read more talk less.
it simply means ( nothing is being DONE ) DUH ?
They are also missing a maintenance program. A pot hole for a week is managable but after 6 months its a mess. After every heavy rain an accessment should be done and a plan made to fix areas quickely.
Two trucks with two people each should be driving around and fixing pot holes DAILY if needed.
Have a hotline for people to call in bad areas.
It’s not that hard! The problem is all recent Governments get cold feet whenever a few idiots start to make noise about sellouts or expats getting contracts. Put the entire road network out for tender, a proper company gets it whether they’re from West End or West Africa, put a bond on them and let them decide if they want to partner with locals. It’s time to stop holding the Territory hostage because of bullshit. The only thing stopping the fixing of roads is political f**kry. There are top Trinidad, Canadian, American, Chinese contractors out there that have paved numerous airports, highways etc. so are tested and proven, just get on with it!
Totally agree the traffic is horrible. One way of traffic into town without any bypass or ways to escape
Mr Hon Rymer, the change in Road Town traffic pattern has not worked. It is terrible. and the roundabout is now even more dangerous than it used to be.
Please change it back to how it was. Thank you.
Changing the traffic back to what it was we before will cause even more confusion. Regardless of what you do there will be traffic because of how much is being crammed into such a small area. The traffic is not worse than before. You all have a short memory.
He is to busy building his big house up Horse Path.
When the Minister said PWD must cut the bush from the side of the roads ( which is their job), ah whole lotta people got up in arms against it because they wanted contracts to cut bush. Now here we are commenting bout over-grown bush.
I met a Trini employed here by PWD just before Irma. He was a fully UK-qualified road civil engineer. He asked PWD about the standard software that all planning engineers use to design good roads, but was told that BVI didn’t have it. He then found the computer and special software in the PWD’s buildings, but it had never been used – many tens of thousands of dollars of equipment going to waste, because he was told that PWD already knew how to design and repair the BVI’s roads. The Trini guy was very disillusioned and never came back after Irma.
All ah dem is ah set ah clowns, Ms Parsons was there in government all she do is put together ah dance group, she had the opportunity to make ah change of the roads because she was in government…tell she shut and rest she self
Just employ whoever does the road in St John. The roads there are fine. An easy fix. Just stop giving money away to friends here.