There she goes! With a hop, skip and jump, this schoolgirl leaps across the crater-filled Ensom Avenue.

Eltham Park, Ensom City

What's not working?

Considering the condition of roads in Spanish Town, the Old Capital is living up to its name - OLD. The meandering trails of the centuries-old town leading to Emancipation Square are scarred, as a result of pipe-laying works and the shoddy aftermath, and are best suited to test the limits of rally race car drivers.

Obliging to the requests of some residents in Eltham Park and Ensom City, suburbs in the St. Catherine capital, Tyrone's Watchjourneyed there and experienced a motorist's worst nightmare - ploughing into pothole after pothole and pools of muddy water. Though some roads had not yet descended into a total mess, the situation will worsen if not addressed soon.

Synopsis of situation:

A Mr. Phillips said he has been living along Allamander Way in Eltham Park since 1992. He is unable to recall repairs being done on the pothole-littered stretch. That either means that the repairs, if any, took place before he came there or too long ago for him to remember.

However you look at it, the damning reminder of the authorities' neglect of an ageing road infrastructure is palpable.

A taxi operator put in 'his two cents', arguing that while the main roads were acceptable, but said streets in the housing schemes were "not good at all". He then recommended that we pay a visit to nearby Ensom City, stating that similar sentiments of discontent abounded there.

Some roads in Ensom City really need only minor repairs - but others warrant a major overhaul. Take Ensom Avenue, for example. When we pulled up along the thoroughfare, we were just in time to see a youngster hop, skip and jump over gaping puddles `a la Trecia Smith of Commonwealth gold fame.

Who's responsible?

The St Catherine Parish Council.

What's the status?

No need for a drum roll here, the status is, as in 90 per cent of the road cases we report on, that the council cannot effect repairs because they are awaiting funds to do so.

Conclusion:

The parish council gave the stock response we have come to expect: like a broken record, they're broke.

The Golding administration must step up to the plate and make parish councils more effective. Despite plans and promises to revamp local government, Jamaicans' faith in the relevance of this institution is fast disappearing, as evidenced by the poor turnout in the December parish council elections.

Instead of mounting multimillion-dollar projects to rehabilitate roads, regular maintenance programmes at the local government level would be be more practical, and less costly.

- Marlon Vickerman

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, P.O. Box 40, Kingston; Fax: 922-6223, Telephone: 922-3400 Ext. 6364 or Email: tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com.

Large pools of water make life hellish for homeowners when entering or leaving their premises. - Photos by Marlon Vickerman

A motorist crawls through potholes which have become a regular feature for residents and visitors to Ensom City.