Promised increase in road fines tabled in Parliament

Promised increase in road fines tabled in Parliament
Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister.

Minister of Works Desmond Bannister on Wednesday tabled an amendment to the Roads Act, which seeks to increase the fine for utility companies that dig up roads and don’t properly pave them from $75 to $10,000.

The amendment comes months after the initial announcement back in March when Works Director Melanie Roach initially announced that a recommendation had been made to the Attorney General’s Office to increase the current fine.

According to Bannister, the increase is hoped to deter contractors from digging into roads for utilities without restoring the sites to their original form.

Instead of just paving the small patch of road they dig up, utility companies will now be required to pave the entire lane – 50 feet before and 50 feet after the trench.