Dispute brewing over bus lanes on Mandela Highway

A dispute is brewing between Transport Minister Mike Henry and Minister of State with responsibility for Works in the Office of the Prime Minister, Everald Warmington.

The disagreement has evolved from an announcement made by Warmington in Parliament on Wednesday  that the government has discontinued the exclusive bus lane on the Nelson Mandela Highway in St Catherine.

Warmington said the change took effect immediately.

However, the pronouncement has not gone down well with  Henry who believes Warmington has overstepped his authority.

Late Wednesday, the Transport Minister was reportedly holding talks with Dr Horace Chang, a senior member of the Cabinet, to find a solution to the dispute. Officials at the Transport Ministry insist that Warmington does not have the authority or jurisdiction to make such an announcement.

They argued that changes were made under the Road Traffic Act to give the Transport Minister the power to implement the exclusive lane for Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses.  It was also stated that changes do not fall under the Main Road Act which would come under Warmington's portfolio, therefore he has overstepped his authority.

They further pointed out that  Warmington is a Minister of State, therefore his power is limited and only the Prime Minister can order the change.

Members of the Cabinet were in discussions late Wednesday to find a solution to avoid confusion for motorists along the Nelson Mandela Highway.

Motorists have been complaining bitterly about the lengthy delays in traffic in order to facilitate JUTC buses.

The matter was challenged in the Supreme Court by the Rural Transit Association Limited, which represents Rural bus operators.The operators claim the exclusive bus lane was illegal.

However, the Judicial Review Court ruled in favour of the JUTC three weeks ago.

The matter is now being appealed.

Reginald Allen, the JUTC's Marketing and Communications Manager, says the state-run company is concerned that Warmington's announcement could result in chaos on the Mandela Highway, while JUTC Chairman Garnett Roper, has declared that any plan to discontinue the exclusive bus lane will have major implication on the operation of the entity.