Under the theme, ‘Transforming The Way We Do Business’, the Island Traffic Authority (ITA)held its annual Seminar/Workshop at the RIU Hotels and Resorts in Montego Bay between May 12 and 15, 2011.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, keynote speaker Minister Mike Henry noted the ITA’s efforts to transform its operations. Said he, “ For some time now, the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) has been focused on its transformation into a customer-oriented, performance-driven entity. This essentially required critical considerations centredaround quality, reliability and the integrity of the entity’s operations.”
Continuing, the Minister said, “This thrust has included upgrading of technical competence levels and general standards of operation. From workshops on matters like driver and vehicle testing; weight enforcement and customer service; road spot check operations; vehicle fitness inspections; testing for PPV drivers’ licences; and crash analysis and reporting to other initiatives, so many important subject matters have been re-visited on the road towards re-alignment of the ITA on the path to greater efficiency and integrity.”
Minister Henry concluded that the workshops have played a critical role in broadening the perception of the direction and vision of a new ITA, and the improved quality of service that is needed to achieve the goals in mind. These, he said, included a number of targets, some of which are already being partially realized such as:
· Greater controls at the Examination Depots
· Increased numbers of vehicles tested – 350,680 in 2009 to 449,862 in 2010
· More stringent testing of applicants for PPV Drivers’ Licences
· Greater co-ordinated efforts to eliminate touts and irregularities
· The removal of touts from plants where they were prevalent
· Improved service delivery
· Reduced processing times
· More meticulous testing of vehicles
· Increased road spot check activities by over 400%
· More prosecutions for the operation of detective vehicles – from 3,285 in 2008 to 6,520 in 2010
· Greater revenue earnings from operations
A number of other speakers from various Departments and Agencies of the Ministry also spoke at the ceremony. These included: Mr. Paul Clemetson, Director of the ITA; Pastor Astor Bowers who blessed the function; Mr. Conrad Ainsworth, Chief Inspector at the ITA; Mr. Patrick Wong, CEO of the NWA; Mr. CrenstonBoxhill, Senior Inspector, ITA; Mr. Daniel Dawes, Managing Director, Transport Authority; Mr. Keith Glaves, Senior Inspector, ITA and Mr. Orville Matthews, Senior Inspector, ITA. Mrs. Susan Gongasingh, Administrator at the ITA rendered musical items.
Following the official opening of the workshop, the next three days saw some very in-depth presentations from various stakeholders concerned with traffic safety, road safety, public sector modernisationand transportation matters.
Some of these included, ‘Understanding Field Measurements’; ‘IT in Crash Investigation’; ‘The Land Transport Authority – the Jamaican Vision’; ‘Safety on the Nation’s Roads’; ‘Crash Investigation: the Way Forward’; ‘The New Single Road Authority’; ‘Why Vehicle weight Enforcement’; ‘Testing For PPV Drivers Licences’; ‘Diagramming Accident Science’; ‘Testing and Certifying Commercial Vehicles’; ‘Tampered Vehicles ID Number” and ‘IT Support for ITA’.
On Friday, May 14, a ceremony was held in recognition of retirees and persons who performed creditably at the ITA in the previous year.