The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

MOTORISTS queued in long lines for hours at the Department of Road Traffic’s National Stadium office to licence their vehicles yesterday.

Cars snaked around the stadium as motorists sat waiting for examinations on cars where the licence had expired at the end of the months. Once through the vehicle exam drivers then had to endure a long wait to complete the admin process within the licencing centre. People waited six feet apart as the department exercised social distancing, allowing only a limited number of people to pass the gate and into the building.

Stephan Major told The Tribune “it’s been pretty rough” trying to complete the process, as he waited about three hours to do so.

“This is out of control,” he said. “Well actually we had people here since 6.30 this morning and you would have gotten a number like 18 or 20 then it’s another process getting inside the gate and letting in five a time. And then when you get in the gate, you get to section four, section five - it’s a pretty long process.

“... On the outside, there are so many people to do six feet, three feet apart - the lines would probably be down Thompson Boulevard.”

Most people said the main reason they did their car licencing on the last day of the month was because Road Traffic was closed to the public last week.

Motorist Shedrick McPhee Sr said: “I didn’t wait last minute. I called last week and they say they was closed. When I came back yesterday they was closed again. So I found out they was open today.

“...There could be more communication when it comes to licencing cars.”

Yvonne Fowler assumed the office closed due to the current state of emergency and national curfew.

She said a relative was able to get their car licenced but when she arrived on Monday, the process had already ended for the day.

“I came down yesterday and the line was extra long and they had already stopped,” she said.

When asked if drivers whose licence and inspection expired in March should be given leniency, she answered: “Oh yes they should be. I was confused and they didn’t make it specifically clear that Road Traffic would have been open so that we would have, you know, know what to do earlier and try to beat this time. They didn’t make it clear.”

Anthony Reid went through the same ordeal and also agreed drivers should receive leniency by police.

He explained: “Road Traffic was closed for a whole week and people who wanted to come down to license their vehicle last week weren’t able to because I’m one of those persons that (found out they) were closed and I just found they were open yesterday. So I came back here this morning waiting to be served.”

Janet Hannah, a government worker, said she was waiting on payday to licence her car.

People were astonished at the fact senior citizens were not allowed to go to the front of the line. When pressed on the issue, the controller of the Road Traffic Department stated older people should not be out as mandated by the prime minister. He also denied the claims of the office being closed for a week.

The prime minister noted in a letter on Monday that the department could operate from 9am to 4pm for the purpose of facilitating registration and licencing motor vehicles. Yet, the controller said yesterday the office would stop processing at 1pm that day.

Attempts to reach Transport Minister Renward Wells yesterday were unsuccessful.