A noise epidemic
Noise pollution in Jamaica is now at an epidemic level: there seems to be nowhere on the island that you can escape the sound of noisy exhausts (mufflers) - especially those fitted to the giant American trucks that hauliers seem to have imported in great numbers.
Recently, I was staying in a lovely villa in Reading, St James, which was delightful in every respect - except for the thunderous noises of truck exhaust systems. Why do you put up with this? In Europe, any driver of a vehicle making this kind of noise would be arrested and fined on the spot. And this, surely, is the way to go in Jamaica. A simple law requiring all vehicles to be fitted with silencers would do the trick. Offenders could then be fined and the money (which would inevitably be considerable to start with) used to pay for much-needed repairs and improvements to the road infrastructure.
If you don't act soon, regular visitors like me will start to look for somewhere where you can at least get a good night's sleep without being awakened by the intemperate blasts of a big Mack truck or a boy racer with an oversized muffler that delivers nothing in terms of performance and only serves to disrupt the peace and tranquility of your wonderful environment.
- Derek Bishton
derek@telegraph.co.uk
JPS and paying customers
The article 'JPS investing JA$0.5B to curb power theft' is indeed good news. But, the first question that comes to my mind is, will JPS pass on this saving to customers?
JPS would want us to believe they are losing money because of power theft. I do not think so. I believe the 'naked' truth is that JPS passes on the charges to their paying customers in a very high-handed manner.
- L. Williams
willwed@verizon.net
Williamsfield, Manchester
Go for wind, solar energy
I read The Sunday Gleaner (December 16), with fascination as it reviewed the first 100 days of Mr. Golding's tenure in office. One thing that struck me was talk of the "depreciation of the local currency". If I am not mistaken, it is said that a part of the reason for this is the fluctuation in oil prices.
So here is my (silly) question - If Jamaica had a strong determination to reduce our dependence on oil would this eliminate oil prices as a problem? To say that Jamaica and the Caribbean are rich in solar and wind energy is perhaps a gross understatement. In other words, we have abundan energy that can be utilised instead of oil. In doing so, there will be a new market in Jamaica and if done properly, it will not have any adverse effects on the economy, but instead cause the growth and strengthening of our dollar. - Jamaican Planter
Kingston
