With national elections slowly looming over the horizon, I have yet to hear any of our political hopefuls really addressing the condition of the streets in The Valley. For several years, with each succeeding administration, it has been announced that there is a “plan” for The Valley Road — the development of The Valley proper.
As nationals, we should be all concerned about the unsavory condition of the network of roads that service this important area of our country. From the traffic light at Lake’s, west through the rugged trek to the Ebenezer Methodist Church, and from the Queen Elizabeth Avenue south through the painstaking, horrible traverse to the St. Gerard’s Catholic Church, the image of roadways in our capital is deplorable.
So the question is, why is the plan for The Valley, that would alleviate the drudgery of driving on these bumpy, antiquated roads, taking so long to implement? I won’t speak of the embarrassment that I have felt while transporting persons who do not reside here on these roads. Neither would I mention the number of excuses that our taxi drivers have had to make while transporting tourists on the jarring streets of our capital. Certainly, it is obvious that our vehicles groan from the wear and tear that affect their suspensions.
If, per chance, the issue is a lack of funds for the development of The Valley, then I would ask: hasn’t any high ranking officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for example, ever taken a passage on these roads? I assume that even if they did, they would have driven in luxurious vehicles with sound suspension support and proper undercarriage systems. But even so, they most likely would have experienced the unevenness and tossing that would have disturbed their comfort. Not so? And so I wonder what were their natural impressions. Shouldn’t they have been sensitive enough to discuss the matter with the “powers that be” so that some kind of funding could be earmarked?
Theoretically speaking, one of the purposes of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to promote the United Kingdom’s interests overseas, supporting the wellbeing of its citizens and promoting businesses around the world. Shouldn’t the condition of the road in The Valley catch this Office’s attention?
After all, The Valley is supposed to be our business centre. It should be our city. Why should the roads that serve our city be so low-graded and difficult to drive on in this ultra-modern 21st century? Why should we continue to drive on these deplorable roads year after year with each administration touting that a Valley Plan is in the pipeline? I speak for the rest of Anguilla when I say that plan is way overdue.
It is on record that the Minister responsible for Infrastructure, in one of our past administrations has been quoted as saying, during a cycling event in The Valley: “Next year the cyclists in the John T Road Races would be contesting comfortably on level, well-paved streets.” But today, these same bumpy streets are the down-cry of many visiting cyclists and a shame to our local ones.
So, can’t one of our prospective leaders please take up the mantle and do something about this plight that plagues the prime section of Anguilla’s roads? Our current Minister of Infrastructure seems to be lobbying hard for what he calls the “George Hill By-pass”. While this may be a need, in my humble view the entire Valley road system should be given priority.
