Emerging potholes on Ricketts Avenue are nothing new. The most notorious ones on the thoroughfare all began at this stage.

What's not working?

The students at the Rousseau Primary School on Ricketts Avenue, Kingston, are not the only ones that are skipping and bouncing along the stretch. It is likely that you too will be bouncing all over the place as you try to skip the multiple potholes that have defaced this road.

Synopsis of situation:

There are potholes of all sizes along Ricketts Avenue, which runs off Chisholm Avenue in Kingston, and all look capable of putting a dent in the pockets of motor vehicle owners. Residents in the area say the road has been in need of repair for over five years and having knowledge of this, the relevant authority has done nothing.

Denise, a resident of Ricketts Avenue and a vendor at the nearby Rousseau Primary School, said repairs to the street are past due. "Is long time the road waan fix, long time, mi deh ya about 20 years and the road bad. When rain fall the water all settle pon it more time. Is full time fi it fix now," she said before the recent rains.

The on-duty security guard at the Rousseau Primary School also supported Denise's point, saying that the thoroughfare seems to have been forgotten by the authorities. He said that within the last five years, he could not recall one occasion on which the street's potholes were even patched, let alone having a comprehensive repair process carried out.

The long and short of the matter is simple: Ricketts Avenue residents want to see their street fixed and maintained.

Who's responsible?

The Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

What's the status?

Countless attempts to get a comment from KSAC's Road and Works Department on the matter were unsuccessful. Representatives in the department said the road and works superintendent was not in and they, themselves, declined to comment on the matter or even confirm that the KSAC was responsible for the upkeep of Ricketts Avenue, a parochial road. Several attempts were also made to get a comment from the Office of the Town Clerk, but his secretary said he was in a meeting for much of the time that Tyrone's Watch tried to contact him. She also said that there was no one else in the department that could assist. A message was also left regarding the nature of the call but we are yet to receive a response, this is, typically, always the case.

Conclusion:

Potholes cover most of Ricketts Avenue from top to bottom. In some sections, potholes come together and form larger craters. - Photos by Marlon Vickerman

As hard as the residents may wish,it will take more than wishing to address the potholes on the avenue. And, as far in the sand as the authority may push its head, trying to hide from its responsibility, it will still remain unmoved until they start playing their part. The potholes in the area are real, the students that use the road are real and the fact that the road needs to be fixed is real. It now behooves the authorities to step up to the real challenge, and that is doing what they were appointed to do, in this case fixing the road.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Tell us about problems in your community. We will visit and help to lobby for action. Write to: Tyrone Reid, the Gleaner Company Ltd., 7 North Street, Kingston; Fax: 922-6223, Telephone:922-3400 Ext. 6364 or Email: tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com.

This pothole sits lazily at the entrance of the Rousseau Primary School and is just one of the many ditches of terror on Ricketts Avenue.