Farmer appeals for road relief

MEMBERS of the farming community at Ruby Plantation in St Philip are appealing to the authorities for a proper road giving them access to their homes and property.The marl track they use is a few yards short of a mile, and with the recent rains it has become almost impassable.  Laurine Quintyne, a farmer who has lived in the area for over seven years, is hoping that something can be done soon. The farmer, who sells produce from her home, said people refused to come to her because of the condition of the road.  “Customers do not want to come when it is in this condition. Many call to ask how the road is before they come,” she said.Quintyne added that her husband was forced to drive down to the corner to meet people who had placed orders for vegetables and on some days the orders exceeded ten and trips had to be made back and forth.“If customers come they complain, so only persons with vans and pick-up trucks dare to make the journey.”Quintyne, who has a van of her own, said the maintenance bill for the vehicle was also very high.  Her van usually got mud in the brakes and that caused problems.“I have to take the van to the service station regularly to have an underbody wash and it is costly because you clean it one day and by the next day it is in the previous condition,” she said.Quintyne’s husband has been forced to buy a pressure washer.The distressed farmer reported that almost a year-and-a-half ago the Rural Development Commission dug up the road with a bobcat and put down marl. She said she had been trying to get the road surfaced for “the longest while” and had made several calls to the Ministry of Transport and Works but was constantly told to call back. “I got frustrated and stopped, so I continue to put rocks and marl in the road because I cannot afford any barber green.”Quintyne said that when she moved to the area it was a dirt track but that was dug out down to the rock level and then it was filled with marl, but the problem persisted because the road is in a water course.