Roadtown, Tortola; Monday, October 26 – The traffic lights at the Road Town Roundabout will not be turned back.
That is according to Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE. He first made the disclosure during an interview with Director of Communications Ms. Sandra Ward which first aired over the weekend and will be aired again during this week on various radio and television stations.
Premier O’Neal openly admitted that the installation of the traffic lights at that location was a mistake. “I think it was a mistake. We made a mistake and we must be big enough to admit when we make a mistake and apologise.”
He added “I think not enough study had been given to it and let us deal with The Moorings; that is where we need the traffic lights and I do apologise to the people for it.”
Earlier in the interview, the Premier cited the intersection near The Moorings as the possible location for the next set of traffic lights given the fact that all vehicles exiting that intersection have to proceed west to the Road Town Roundabout even if their actual destination may be easterly. This scenario he believes is largely responsible for the heavy traffic flow to the roundabout.
Responding to a question at today’s Ministerial Press Conference, the Premier said it will have to be determined whether or not the traffic lights can be used at The Moorings intersection.
Other areas addressed in the interview included the Biwater proposal, the Boundaries Commission and the sewerage scheme.
On the issue of the Biwater proposal, Premier O’Neal said members of caucus met with representatives of the company last week and they have been asked to submit in writing their proposal to help alleviate problems with the supply of water in the Territory. “Biwater submitted a draft contract but things have changed since then. I also met with representatives of Ocean Conversion and we had some frank discussions and Government will consider their proposals,” he said.
Stating that Government must properly examine any proposal submitted before making a decision, the Premier affirmed that an agreement has not yet been signed. “While it is true that some people want you to rush and sign, I do not think that is fair.”
He also noted the importance of carrying out checks and balance after an agreement is in place. “Government must ensure that the terms of the agreement are kept or somebody will lose their job,” he said, adding, “You do not wait until the seven year or the five year review; the agreement has got to be constantly reviewed, the checks and balances have got to be carried out.”
On the subject of the sewerage system for which Government recently signed a loan agreement with Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, the Premier said Government will forego the tendering process to ensure that work on this project is not delayed.
“People especially in Road Town and certain parts of East End, Greenland, Long Look have suffered a long time and relief must come as soon as possible and certain systems will be put in place so that work can begin or continue to bring that relief,” Honourable O’Neal said. He expressed the hope that work on the project will begin by November.
The interview with Premier O’Neal will be aired on JTV Channel 55 at 7 p.m., ZBVI Radio 780 AM at 8 p.m. and on CBN Channel 21 at 9 p.m. today. Tomorrow, it can be heard on ZKING 100.9 FM at 8:30 p.m. ZBVI Radio will re-air the interview on Wednesday at 7:35 p.m. and on Thursday at 1 p.m.
British Virgin Islands News