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Driving
Tips For Highway 2000
When Jamaica’s
first four-lane tolled motorway complete with interchanges and
intersections and built to modern international standards opens
later this month, Jamaican motorists will be in for a whole new
motoring experience at speeds of up to 110 km/h. But before you jump
onto the highway, here are some tips that can make traveling on
Highway 2000 more pleasant for you and your fellow motorists:
1) Be prepared
As with every
motoring trip, the first stage of travel is to check the vehicle and
to plan your route. Highway 2000 does not offer any opportunities for
reversing or U-turns, so know your entry and exit points before making
the trip.
2) Be ready to pay
Another important
part of preparation is having the toll fee ready for payment at the
toll plaza at Vineyards, near the Bushy Park Interchange. Check the
category that your vehicle falls within beforehand so that you can
calculate the amount to be paid at the toll plaza either by cash or
using the prepaid TAG card. The categories are:
Category 1, $50 – for vehicles
less than 5.5m long and less than 2m high, including motor cars, small
sport utility vehicles, and motorcycles
Category 2, $60 — for vehicles
more than 5.5m long or more than 2 m high, including large sport
utility vehicles, some pickup trucks, and minibuses
Category 3, $120 — for
vehicles more than 5.5m long and more than 2m high, which includes
large buses, trucks and trailers
All users, including
GOJ licensed (yellow plate), PPV (red plate), trailers, towing
vehicles (wreckers), as well diplomatic vehicles must pay tolls. Only
emergency vehicles such as paramedic ambulances, the police, the army
and fire trucks are exempt.
3) Be mindful of others
Most accidents on
Jamaican roads involve overtaking. As travelling on the highway allows
faster speeds than regular roads, the safest way for all drivers is to
reserve the lane on the right for persons who want to use the speed
limit and travel at 110 km on flat areas and 90 km up hills. If you
are in the fast lane and realize that the vehicle behind you is
travelling at a faster speed, you can show them highway courtesy by
moving (left) out of the lane. When the faster moving vehicles have
gone ahead, then the driver can return to the fast lane.
In addition, if you
have to stop, move the vehicle from the road immediately and park
fully on the soft shoulder. The vehicle should be parked so that the
doors on the traffic side of the car can be opened safely. Do tyre
changes, engine checks and accident paperwork and conversations on the
soft shoulder and not on the paved surface. Telephone kiosks marked
SOS are placed along the highway to report emergencies and alert the
highway patrol.
4) Be ready to exit
Using the overhead
signs, get into the correct lane about 500 metres beforehand and
prepare for exit. If you miss the exit, then the only alternative is
to continue driving and get off at the next exit. Reversing on the
highway is dangerous and not allowed.
5) Enjoy the ride!
Enjoy driving free of
traffic congestion on the first 13 km of Highway 2000 and start
looking forward to the completion of Jamaica’s first modern highway.
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