Over the weekend, I drove through Don Miguel Road, in San Juan. It was late at night and did not see a huge crater in the road at the corner of Oudhan Trace, until it was too late: so BADAM!!! I went down..as there was an oncoming vehicle..straight head on.
So I nearly ran off the road. I continued on my way, proceeding to El Socorro and just after the corner of Sealey Street, I was jolted again..
Another BADAM!!!!!.. This time I came to a stop and came out, because of the terrible noise, I thought I damaged my car.
Lo and behold, I had slammed into a pothole nearly one foot deep and about two feet long, just before Suzuki Motors.
As I proceeded up El Socorro, I hit into so many potholes, including outside the MP Saddam Hosein’s office, where I had to occupy the other side of the road.
The alternative would be to swerve or drive on the pavement and perhaps hit an on-coming vehicle or if the Police saw me they would think I was drunk, not avoiding potholes.
I have no $2,000 to waste behind any nonsense, trumped up fine, so I endured. It was clear the MP is doing nothing for his constituency pay.
Today, when I drove my car, it wobbled, so I went to the tyre shop and was told that my tyre was damaged and my rim bent.
The cost to repair/replace $1500. I was told that this is a common thing as many of the taxi drivers were just working to repair tyres and under carriage.
In fact, it was back to filling potholes, dug outs and WASA trenches will rubble, stuck together with cow dung. I was so upset. I wondered – can I give the MOWT or Saddam Hosein a ticket for failing to provide good roads.
And don’t tell me anything about they inherited bad roads from the PNM Poppycock. Those holes and craters and fishing ponds were there when Saddam was campaigning.
As I see it, if they can ticket me for improper driving or faulty vehicle ( bad tyres) like failing to occupy the side of the road or swerving (driving dangerously), why can’t I give them a ticket or a lawsuit when the roads damage my car?
Better yet, I want to give them three days to repair the road otherwise it coverts into a fixed penalty notice. See the oppression and injustice UNC style?
God help us: we won nothing.
Linda Capildeo,
St James
