KINGTON-Jamaica–November 27th,2020–The National Works Agency (NWA) is advising that three traffic signals in Montego Bay, St. James are now malfunctioning and works to repair these signals will be undertaken in short order.
Community Relations Officer at the NWA, Janel Ricketts, says that the traffic signals at the King Street and Market Street, as well as the Elegant Corridor and Sugar Mill road intersections in St. James, have been affected by issues related to the electrical power supply. While issues related to damaged hardware, have resulted in the amber signal on the traffic light at the Providence road and Elegant Corridor intersection malfunctioning.
Ms. Ricketts says that in the interim, motorists are being reminded that no one has the right of way when the traffic signals are out of service. As a result, all motorists should exercise due care when using these intersections.
Traffic lights malfunctions are nothing new. The world’s first traffic light was a manually operated gas-lit signal installed in London in December 1868. It exploded less than a month after it was implemented, injuring its policeman operator. Modern traffic lights use special bulbs that are designed for extra-long life, and failures are infrequent.
Fortunately, Jamaica has so far reported no injuries.
