When I attended the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus between 2002 and 2006, parking was a problem. This is 2012, and many people, especially part-time students who attend evening and night classes, still have difficulty finding parking at the university.
Many part-time evening students work in Bridgetown or pass through that area on their way to UWI. I want to suggest having some UWI evening classes in town. There may be buildings that can be renovated and transformed into classrooms. If this is feasible, it would be of great benefit to students and some businesses.
Students who work in town would not have to travel all the way to UWI for classes. Parking would not be an issue since most of the parking facilities in town are vacant after working hours. Some businesses would also benefit from students who would want to purchase snacks and other treats before class or during breaks. Students who take the bus to and from class would have easy access to the bus terminals.
I do most of my banking with Butterfield Bank, primarily because all their branches don’t close at 3 p.m. Even though I live in the northwest of the country, I travel all the way to JB’s in the south to take advantage of the bank’s late closing hours.
In my opinion, it is ridiculous that banks close so early. Most people get off from work at 4:30 p.m. and I am sure that they would love to have the option of doing some of their banking after hours on weekdays and not only on Friday evenings or during their lunch hours. Banks should consider extending their closing hours to maybe around 7 p.m. and also have a shift system for their workers to adequately service the needs of their clients.
Too many times I have gone into a bank and stood in a line for more than 30 minutes because only two tellers were working. On one occasion when I reached the counter and queried the shortage of staff on duty, I was told that three tellers were on break. I understand that the employees need breaks but not at the expense of frustrated customers. I think a better system is needed.
On another occasion, I entered a bank and wasn’t well.
I stood in the line for about ten minutes and felt like I was about to faint. I asked the person behind me if they could hold my space so I could sit, as I wasn’t feeling well. In the entire bank, there were only two chairs. Luckily, as I was leaving the line, someone was leaving one of the chairs.
I believe businesses that require customers to stand in line for lengthy periods should be made to provide comfortable seating for its customers. It should be made policy. My heart goes out to those who are not as young or as strong as I am who have to stand for lengthy periods because no adequate seating is provided. Providers of mobile phone service are also guilty of this.
A hospital is a place where people go for private care. Though the hospital is labelled as public, people’s conditions are treated in a private way. The location of the Psychiatric Hospital bothers me. The hospital itself has a stigma attached to it, and people who are or were patients there often carry that stigma as well.
I think it is very unkind and unwise to have the hospital located in a residential area. I believe that mental health is a very serious, delicate and private matter and should be treated as such. If I had the authority and resources I would have a new hospital built in the countryside, away from the general public, where patients could receive their treatment in a private environment. I would suggest that the name be changed as well, excluding the words psychiatric and mental and including the words rehabilitation or care.