NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition leader Michael Pintard has slammed the Davis administration for allowing the temporary facilities of the Road Traffic Department to fall into "an appalling state of disrepair and dilapidation."

Pintard, in a statement, said: "The Davis PLP Administration has allowed the temporary facilities that house Road Traffic to fall into an appalling state of disrepair, dilapidation and PLP decay.

"The facilities at the Sports Centre are falling apart and overrun by rodents, driving the staff out and cramming them into the West Bay Street and Carmichael Road substations. These small outlying facilities were not designed to handle the regular monthly flow of vehicle registrations and issuing of driver's licenses that pass through the Sports Centre facility for any given month.

"Further complicating the matter is the nonsensical requirement that the West Bay Street substation only transact using credit and debit cards," Pintard argued.

He further noted that January through March is the busiest period for Road Traffic activities, adding that the substations cannot accommodate the increased volume of activities, and forcing the department to operate at this level has only heightened public frustration.

"It is unbelievable that in 2024, the Road Traffic Department is operating as it did pre-1992; before the FNM government implemented vehicle registration at birth month, introduced the photo driver's licenses, and established substations at Elizabeth Estates, South Beach, Cable Beach, and West Bay Street at rent-free facilities. An efficient Ministry of Transport is critical for a growing economy," said Pintard.

He added: "We urge the Davis PLP Administration to immediately reopen the Road Traffic Department substations at Elizabeth Estate, South Beach, and Cable Beach to provide these essential services to the Bahamian people. Bahamians will recall that the PLP government closed these substations during their time in office in 2012.

"Hundreds of thousands of the Bahamian people's tax dollars were wasted, paid to a PLP supporter to prepare his place for rental to the Road Traffic Department. Of course, the building was never fixed, and the PLP supporter took the FNM government to court even though the building was not fit for occupancy."

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