NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2022 12 Keisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer BIKE TAXIS boldly go where taxicabs fear to travel and are often the preferred mode of public transportation in the rural parish of Westmoreland. Albeit the practice is illegal, transporting commuters on the back of motorcycles has been flourishing in the western end. WITH UNEMPLOYMENT at record-high levels in the parish, residents have been capitalising on the situation in order to make a living for themselves by offering this shuttle service. Michael Turner, who was running late for work, hoppedon to the back of Jarvis Smikle’s motor bike, which he said would take him into work withinminutes. Smikle, who has been operatinghisYengYengmotor bike as a taxi for over 10 years, described the venture as feasible.“I am self-employed, and this is how I take care of my family.Within five hours, I canmake up to $7,000 with this bike taxi. It is better than working in the sugar cane fields or even in the craft shops.Thosepeoplehardly make any money. I want to see my children do better than me, so I have to push out,” he said. Smikle lamented that with the lack of employment prospects, he was unable to purchase a motor vehicle to help him in his venture. “No matter how much partner you throw, and how much money you save, you can’t go to the bank to get a loan. They want a whole heap a things, and we don’t have any collateral to get these loans. We do what we have to do,”he said. Since Jamaica became independent, many people in rural parishes depended on the railway system for travel and to transport goods and services. It was possible to travel from Kingston to Montego Bay by train. This opened up previously inaccessible parts of the island and allowed for efficient and affordable travel between the country’s cities and towns. Trains also played a major role in the inland postal service and in getting produce from the country to the urban markets. However, lack of maintenance and investment, and the impact of severalmajor hurricanes, caused Jamaica’s railway infrastructure to deteriorate, and the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC), which had been established as a government corporation in 1960, began to accrue major losses. Several trajectories stopped operating, and public railway transport ceased in 1992. POPULAR SERVICE Since then, motor bikes have been a popular fixture on Jamaican roads because of their low price tag, with some recent models selling for less than $170,000. This is much cheaper than the more established Japanese bike makers, and as such, has become the chosen bike for many carriers. Due to the demand of residents wanting to move their goods, many bike riders are now being employed for their services and given an incentive. “In the pandemic, many people never want to go out as such, so if they have some errands on the road, we do it for them, and we get a thing,” Smikle said. Despite the knowledge of the danger of travelling by bike taxis, commuters have no problem supporting the motorcyclists in their bid toprovide amuch-needed transportationoption, where car andbus operators fear to venture because of the bad road conditions. “We are aware of the risks, but to tell you the truth, this is howwe canmove around, and the fare can work with. Tell the Government to fix the roads then things will change,” quipped one resident who requested anonymity. keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com JAMAICA AT 60: WESTMORELAND jamaica at In this file photo, several bikers park their bike taxis at the terminus in Orange Bay, Hanover. Jarvis Smikle, a bike taxi operator says he prefer to transport his customers on his bike than working in the canefields. FILE BIKE TAXI IS BETTER THAN WORKING IN THE CANEFIELDS – Jarvis Smikle Paul H. Williams/Gleaner Writer THE NUMBER of original English parishes in Jamaica was seven, that was in 1664. Six years later, it grew to 12. The land west of St James and north of St Elizabeth was unnamed. In 1703, the unnamed land and parts of St Elizabeth became Westmoreland. In 1723, northern Westmoreland became Hanover. Westmoreland is Jamaica’s most westerly parish with Negril being the country’s most westerly point. It is home to George’s plain, one of three plains in Jamaica, and the second oldest high school, Manning’s School, in the island. Historically, it was a sugar belt, and still has a huge portion of flat lands under sugar cane cultivation. When sugar was still king, the much-needed product was shipped from the West Indies Sugar Company pier at Savanna-laMar Fort, constructed in the middle of the 18th century for £16,000. The parish is prone to natural disasters, and Savanna-la-Mar, the capital, has been destroyed several times. For instance, in the 1912 hurricane the sea rushed inland for half a mile. In 1748, the surge left many ships on dry land. The most memorable of the disasters was the one that occurred in October 1780, when a tsunami rushed inland for nearly a mile. It was followed by fire, and a massive hurricane. When it was over the town of Savanna-la-Mar was totally destroyed. Folklore has it that the disaster was a curse brought on by a sorcerer and runaway enslaved-come-bandit named Plato who terrorisedpeopleon thehighway betweenSt James andWestmoreland. Hewas deceivedwith rum, tried and hanged. Amongother things, he predicted the devastation of the parish as a parting shot. Some other places of interest include Frome; Negril Point Lighthouse rising 66 feet above the ground; Seaford Town, established on lands donated by Lord Seaford, owner of Montpelier estate; Chebuctoo Great House, located near the village of Cave on a pimento plantation; Peter Tosh’s Mausoleum; Whitehouse Fishing Village; Fish World; Hilton Plantation; Mayfield Falls; Roaring River and Blue Hole; and Royal Palm Reserve. Now, answer the following questions to see how much you know about Westmoreland. 1.What is the estimated size of Westmoreland? 2.When was Manning’s School established? 3.From which African country did the district of Abeokuta get its name? 4.What is the district of Frome mostly known after? 5.When was the Negril Point Lighthouse built? 6.When was Seaford Town first settledby German immigrants? 7.What is the longest river in Westmoreland? 8.Which is closest to Savannala-Mar, Petersfield, Sheffield or Bluefield? 9.Where is the Peter Tosh Mausoleum situated? 10.Name the two chambers of commerce inWestmoreland. 11.Which one is not in Westmoreland, Lambs River, Sevens River or Robins River? 12.Which three parishes surroundWestmoreland? 13.Where is the highest point in Westmoreland? 14.When was Savanna-la-Mar established? 15.What does Savanna-la-Mar mean? 16.Wherewas the original capital ofWestmoreland? 17.Whenwas theWestmoreland parish church originally established? 18.Whenwas the current parish churchbuilding constructed? 19.Whenwas the courthouse in Savanna-la-Mar built? 20. What is the name of the fort at Savanna-la-Mar? WESTMORELAND TRIVIA PLEASE SEE ANSWERS, 14
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