St John people press for roads, bus access, youth training at Ideas Forum

St John folk issued urgent demands for road repairs, expanded bus services and practical skills training for young people, as ministers acknowledged shortcomings and outlined plans for infrastructure upgrades and new vocational programmes at a government Ideas Forum on Thursday night.

Frustrated residents did not hold back on the state of infrastructure, focusing on deteriorating roads and inadequate bus schedules that isolate rural communities.

St John resident Miss O’Neal compared her local road to a famous landmark while urging the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) to reuse old asphalt from major highway projects to patch community roads.

St, John resident Miss O’Neil. (Photo credit: Ricardo Roberts/Barbados TODAY)

“My particular road is almost like the Grand Canyon… people live on these small roads that could benefit from something like this. Cars are being damaged—one of my neighbors burst a tire. It’s costing people a lot of money and stress.”

The call for better connectivity was echoed by youth advocate and parish ambassador for St John, 18-year-old Jaden Padmore, along with his committee chairperson, Joan Wiggins. Both campaigned for the extension of the Six Roads bus route.

St. John Youth Ambassador Jayden Padmore. (Photo credit: Ricardo Roberts/Barbados TODAY)

The current route abruptly cuts off, forcing vulnerable populations to walk long distances under a punishing sun to reach vital services such as the polyclinic or the post office, Wiggins said. 

“You’re either sick and unable to walk or you’re elderly, hunched, maybe with a stick, and you can imagine hobbling to get to the polyclinic. We need to help these young people, the young little babies who need to catch that bus as well, and our elderly. We can’t leave them out there struggling.”

Wiggins also used the platform to call for a dedicated constituency team to aggressively eradicate failing pit toilets, citing severe environmental and public health concerns.

Responding directly to transport and infrastructure grievances, Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey admitted that the current pace of road repairs by the MTW was “not good enough” and announced that major private contractors have been subcontracted to fast-track a comprehensive patching campaign.

Humphrey listed Newcastle, Redlands, Claybury, Clifton Hall, Wilson Hill, Venture and Edgecliffe among the areas targeted for immediate pothole repairs. Addressing the bus route extension, he pledged an imminent review by the Transport Board.

“It stands to reason that if we extend the route to enable people to better access their housing, that’s the thing to do. The mass transit authority that we’re setting in place is going to be responsible for determining the routes… and we’re going to put new legislation in place to ensure that once a route has been assigned, the buses actually go the entirety of the route.”

The forum also emphasised creating alternative pathways for young Barbadians who leave the secondary school system without formal certificates.

Ian Mayers, a St John native returning from the United States, proposed converting the vacant St John Primary School into a dedicated vocational hub focused on core trades such as carpentry, masonry and plumbing.

Ian Mayers wants the now defunct St. John’s Primary School be transformed into a polytechnic school for parish. (Photo credit: Ricardo Roberts/Barbados TODAY)

“Everybody cannot be academically well. But one thing I knew, God bless my grandmother, she passed away but she told me one thing: ‘If you have a skill, somebody needs a chair to sit in.’ My question to the minister is why don’t we utilise this school as a skills training centre?”

Area MP Charles Griffith, the sports and community empowerment minister, said a town hall meeting would decide the future of the old St John Primary, adding that vocational programming is already under way at the former Hothersal Primary School in Edgecliff. Griffith noted that programmes such as the “Care of the Elderly” course saw enrolment rise from an expected 30 individuals to 90.

“There’s a Block Transformation Unit that is going on blocks across this country, including St John, and providing an opportunity for those youngsters who need a second chance… Rest assured that everything that is possible to empower those youngsters will be put in place.”

Adding to the education push, the minister of technological and vocational training, Sandra Husbands, said the government is rolling out “Skills Access Hubs” across ten identified schools alongside a new “micro-credentials” framework. This will allow citizens to take bite-sized certification courses rather than committing to multi-year diplomas, combining technical skills with commercial business training.

The forum turned briefly to sports tourism when resident Michael Greenidge urged the government to more aggressively integrate major motorsport events, such as Rally Barbados, into the official national sports calendar despite regular complaints about road closures.

He said: “Motorsport is the most popular spectator sport in Barbados right now. If you host a test match between the West Indies and England and stage a motorsport event on the same day, the cricket will suffer… Let us not concentrate on the crisis of inconvenient travel, but let us use the opportunity of this road race to generate some funds for cottage industries.”

Greenidge also urged authorities to open facilities such as Bushy Park to young motorcyclists to practise safely, noting that “one accidental death is one too many” following recent road fatalities.

Griffith agreed on the economic potential of sports tourism and announced the upcoming July 1 launch of a national sports app, 246sports.com, which will map every sporting event on the island to help residents and visitors plan ahead.

(RR)