Island Traffic Authority Charging for Services - Road Traffic Act Backs ITA as HD CCTV Cameras, Rear-View Cameras, JDF, JCF Special License Plates Coming

“We have found that the number of requests made in several of these categories have put the Authority in a position where it will no longer be feasible to provide these services without some level of cost recovery. Services such as Garage/Estate Visits are time-consuming and costly exercises for the Authority,”

Director of the ITA, Ludlow Powell on the idea of the ITA (Island Traffic Authority) charging for its services

The Island Traffic Authority is soon to become an enshrined part of the Road Traffic Act once amendments to the same are completed by December 2014 as I’d predicted in my blog article entitled “Island Traffic Authority to be part of the Road Traffic Act - How HD CCTV Cameras and Rear-View Cameras reduce Vehicles fatalities”.

So it comes as no surprise that the Island Traffic Authority is now charging for previously free Services as reported in the article “Traffic Authority starts charging fees for services”, published Tuesday, November 25, 2014 4:52 PM, The Jamaica Observer.

They’ve been considering it for some time, having footed the bill to provide most of its services free of cost, to quote Director of the ITA, Ludlow Powell: “For a long time, the Authority has grappled with the idea of charging for many of the services it provides to the public but a decision on the matter has had to be deferred until a proper analysis of the situation could be done”.

And what are those planned charges? After consultation with the Ministry of Finance, the ITA's arrived at the following charge regime:

1.      JA$10,000 Engravement 

2.      JA$12,000 Verification of Year of Manufacture

3.      JA$15,000 Garage/Estate Visit for up to ten (10) Vehicles

4.      JA$2,500 Special Permits Processing Fee

5.      JA$20,000 Structural Verification of Integrity

6.      JA$3,000 Driving History and Substitute License

7.      JA$500 for every additional Vehicle beyond ten (10) Vehicles for a Garage/Estate Visit 

8.      JA$7,000 Chassis Verification

9.      JA$7,000 Customs Verification 

10.  JA$7,000 Insurance requests 

Road Traffic Act, Police and Soldiers - Special License plates and Regular Fitness coming

Interestingly too, as part of the amendments of the Road Traffic Act, the thorny issues of JDF (Jamaica Defense Force) and JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) aka the Jamaican Police being legally able to drive Vehicle without License Plates issued by the Tax Administration of Jamaica is now being looked at as stated in the article “Joint Select Committee Looks Into Non Registration Of JCF Vehicles”, Published Thursday October 9, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This as currently, the JCF do not take their Vehicles in for Fitness and Registration and basically drive around scot-free among civilians on Jamaican Roads, making taking them to the RM (Resident Magistrate) Court in the event of a Traffic Accident a nearly impossible affair.

Like the JCF, they merely have a nameplate affixed to their Vehicles that identify the Division from which the Vehicle originated and their Vehicle Pool. Thus motorists aren't able to identify the Vehicle in the event of an accident and cannot claim motor Vehicle insurance.

That is, unless they had the presence of mind to have a dashboard Camera installed, had their smartphone running to capture the incident on their smartphone or had an ICWI (Insurance Company of the West Indies) Policy App to take a photo of the Vehicle in question as noted in the Geezam blog article entitled “ICWI Jamaica Launches Accident Alert BlackBerry App”.

Road Traffic Act and Driver’s License Exams - Anybody can take the Exam but ITA needs to stamp out corruption

The committee has also removed the intended amendment to the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory that persons planning to take the exams at the ITA to obtain their Driver’s License had to have gone to a registered and licensed driving institution as stated in the article “Committee Removes Driving School Provision To Obtain Licences”, Published Thursday October 23, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This provision would have extended to Motorcycle riders, which currently cannot carry a pillion Rider if they only have a learner's, making teaching them how to ride a Motorcycle a tad difficult.

Member of the Road Traffic Act Joint Select Committee Fitz Jackson and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Audrey Sewell apparently dislike this amendment as both of them chimed in to state that going to a registered and licensed driving institution should be an option, as Jamaica and the rest of the World have always upheld the tradition of being taught how to drive by their Family or peers.

The focus should be placed on the ITA's Driving Exams to weed out those who aren't able to drive and stamp out the incidence of people paying for Driver's licenses and producing more competent driers.

Since the net effect is safer roads and a reduction of Road Fatalities, then I’m all for it, personally!

ITA and Road Traffic Act - HD CCTV Cameras, Rear-View Cameras, Radar and Sound Generators for Electric Motorcycles

I hope too they'll also include amendments in the Road Traffic Act that state that it be mandatory that Vehicles be fitted with Rear-view Cameras as stated in my blog article entitled “Island Traffic Authority to be part of the Road Traffic Act - How HD CCTV Cameras and Rear-View Cameras reduce Vehicles fatalities”

Ditto too motorcycles and bicycles be fitted with Radar or Lidar based Technology such as BackTracker to detect Rear Collisions and regulation governing Electric Motorcycles as it relates to their quietness and having them fitted with Noise Generators be put in place as opined in my blog article entitled “Electric Bicycles and Motorcycles next Big Jamaican trend by Christmas 2014 - How Backtracker and Rear View Cameras in the Road Traffic Act can help”

You can barely hear Electric Motorcycles Behind you, so there is need for Regulations in the Road Traffic Act to guard against Rear Collisions by making these necessary adjustments to the Road Traffic Act. 2015 is the year of the Sheep.

Apparently the Minister of Transport and Worlds Dr. Omar Davies is getting the shearer ready to trim down incidents of Road fatalities by giving the ITA more power through theses still-to-be-fully-worked-out amendments to the Road Traffic Act.