By: KAVELLE ANGLIN-CHRISTIE, Staff Reporter
Residents stand on the Negro River bridge which connects Danver's Pen and Trinityville to Seaforth in St. Thomas. A section of it has been missing after it was washed away when the Negro River changed course during Hurricane Dennis. - ian allen
THE RESIDENTS OF Danver's Pen, St. Thomas, who were partially marooned because of Hurricane Dennis, say since then, living is a nightmare.
The residents say they were extorted by men from the area in order to travel up a ladder to cross a washed-away bridge and have faced several fare increases.
Immediately after the hurricane, they had to pay $50 to use a ladder to cross the damaged Negro River bridge. But that has changed in the past week, thanks to the intervention of cadets and the mayor.
But the fare hike is still a problem. What was once one cab ride costing $70, has become three cab rides costing $200.
THE STAR team did the trek down the precipice, into the river bed, up the steep ladder with the help of the cadets perched on another ladder. We had made the odd journey to the other side.
Nicknamed the 'Toll Bridge', residents said that after the bridge had been washed away, men from the area erected the ladder and charged a fee for its use. The initial charge was mandatory and this continued for about a week.
But with the intervention of the Parish Council and the help of the cadets from St. Thomas Technical and Morant Bay High schools the ladder fee has stopped.
Charles Brown, one of the cadet leaders said one day he went to visit the bridge and witnessed the extortion. The cadets now man the ladder during the day, but at night sometimes people still pay a fee.
Light bearer
"Yuh see when them (cadets) gone, is the same man dem from the area that have to shine light and help we come up the ladder in the night. So I really don't have no problem giving them the money," one resident said.
Everald Douglas, another resident, said that since Hurricane Dennis, the fare hike has been painful. "Me did hate it man, because me did haffi de dig down innah mi pocket fi money mi nuh have. First from deh so to yah so big money. Fi go down the ladder one next money, then when yuh reach over yah so next money fi go whe yuh ah go. Now man mi glad dem gone."
He said before the breaking away of the road, the journey from Trinityville to Morant Bay only cost $70. These days a journey from Trinityville to the bridge (Danver's Pen) is $50. When one is on the other side of the bridge, it costs $50 from Danver's Pen to Serge Island, less than five minutes away, or a straight journey from Danver's Pen to Morant Bay is $70.
When asked why he and other residents didn't take the alternative route through Belvedere, they said such a journey was too long and some taxis charged $200 for the journey.
Another resident Joan, who has been taken down the ladder with her baby, said she did not mind paying the ladder fee. "I did well want them to put the ladder there because I have to be travelling back and forth to look for my family."
The mayor of St. Thomas, Joan Spencer, however said that although the men had erected a ladder beside the bridge it had not been done properly. "When we saw the situation, we organised to get the cadets to build the ladder for us. What we do now is to provide food and refreshment for them. These people are poor people and can't afford to pay just to climb a ladder."
When THE STAR visited the Seaforth Police Station, officers said they knew of the 'toll ladder', but could not say if it had been investigated.
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