Users of the Spaldings town centre to Spaldings Hill parochial road in northwest Clarendon are now breathing sighs of relief after their plight with having to put up with deteriorating uncomfortable road conditions for several months came to an end.

Their discomfort ended last Sunday when a group of community members, including school personnel in the area and especially taxi operators who ply that route, collaborated in ensuring that the daily dangers they faced as a result of poor road conditions became a thing of the past.

A group numbering about 20 got together in acquiring marl and cement, some of which were donated by member of parliament for the area, Michael Stern, and pooled their skills to have the pothole- riddled parish council road which is almost a kilometre long repaired. This was a welcome move by many people, especially school administrators at Spaldings High and the Knox complex of schools.

The group, which worked over two days, also carried out bushing of badly overgrown bushes which was a nightmare of motorists, especially around corners, and which forced many to drive in the middle of the roadway while putting hundreds of lives at risk.

Community member and teacher Michael Malcolm told THE WEEKEND STAR that for months, residents and users of the stretch of road, especially the hundreds of students and taxi operators who traverse the busy thoroughfare, have been calling on the Clarendon Parish Council to take the necessary steps in having the road repaired - but to no avail.

He stressed that when their calls seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, persons decided to get together to have the problem corrected and taxi operators pooled resources to acquire material and tools to get the work done. He, like several others is now singing the praises of those who aided the initiative.

Taxi operators who gave their names as 'Bellie' and 'Hotti Hotti' and who were also part of the team which carried out the patching of the road, told THE WEEKEND STAR that they had serious safety concerns for the users of the roadway, hence their decision to assist with its repair and bushing of the overgrown bushes.

They said although they did not have sufficient cement and marl to continue the work up to the Spaldings High School, they were grateful for the support received from all who participated. They disclosed that within a short while arrangements would be made to have the work completed to further ensure road safety.

The taxi operators and school administrators in the area are now calling on motorists to be more careful on the roadway now that it has been repaired. They are also calling on the political representatives in the area to assist them in having what they have started complete, as well as to assist in the continued maintenance of the roadway.