Hundreds of Jamaican motorists converged on St Catherine Parish Court Wednesday for a special Traffic Ticket Public Day initiative, experiencing dramatically different outcomes in their attempts to resolve longstanding violations. The Court Administration Division (CAD) launched this unprecedented event to tackle a staggering backlog of approximately 200,000 outstanding traffic tickets dating back to 2018.
According to Kadiesh Jarrett-Fletcher, CAD’s director of client services, communications and information, the massive accumulation resulted partly from systemic technical failures. “There was a period where the system malfunctioned, causing paid tickets to remain visible in the system,” Jarrett-Fletcher explained. “This technical glitch made courts cautious about issuing warrants, recognizing that many motorists had indeed settled their fines despite system errors.”
The initiative employed a time-slot system to manage crowds, with officials anticipating resolution of over 10,000 tickets serving approximately 4,000 individuals. By 5:00 PM, the court had processed 4,571 tickets, with another 5,346 scheduled for night court proceedings.
Motorists reported sharply contrasting experiences. Prince, attending to resolve a 2021 violation, described “pure rigmarole and foolishness” as he was shuffled between courtrooms. Dyonnelle, attempting to settle a 2019 speeding ticket, found the back-and-forth between courtrooms “exhausting” despite pre-registration.
However, Andre Miller from Old Harbour reported a “seamless” process that resulted in a $9,000 fine for failure to keep left. Taxi operator Cowando Nodle praised the “smooth transition” and reasonable fines for his uniform violation summons, calling the initiative “encouraging” for motorists.
CAD officials deemed the event successful enough to consider expanding the initiative to other parishes. “We’re analyzing data to determine where we implement this next,” Jarrett-Fletcher stated, highlighting the program’s potential to address Jamaica’s nationwide traffic ticket backlog.