Palisi road too narrow for buses say residents

Palisi residents say that they may live close to town but that they lack access to that most basic of services – a bus.

Driving up the narrow roads of Palisi, a small village on a hilly side road, there are few people to be seen walking about as the rain falls.

They say there is a reason for this. “Living here all our lives has been a challenge”, said one resident Ioane Maiava. “It’s good now that we have a ditch so all the water can wash away”, he said.

“Unlike before, families had a tough time coping with the water especially during the rainy seasons.” It may not be a big fuss for some, but Mr. Maiava and his family are one of the few that clean up the ditches whenever they get blocked.

“Some families have built their houses even a bit higher on the hill just for the safety of everyone especially the children because they like to run around outside”, said Mr. Maiava.

But deeper ditches bring their own problems – there is no where to jump to when traffic passes through – there is no footpath.

Maiava explained that the ditch is not the only problem for them. The narrow road that runs through the villagehas another downside for most of the residents that live in this tiny area.

“If only we had footpaths as well it would be easier for people to travel since that the road is too narrow for people to walk on”, he said.

He said that people had to jump on the other side of the ditch when cars come through the road because it is too narrow for them to walk on.

“Clearly, this is why I think the roads have to be widened so that cars have enough space to travel and so will people have space to walk”, said Mr. Maiava.

But it is not being able to use buses that most concerns residents. Seneuefa Ianuari is a resident who knows what it is like to have to get out and walk on hot days.

“Buses cannot come through this road because it’s too narrow and it’s on a daily basis that we have to stop the bus at Vaimea and walk home”,.

Many of the villages in the country have their own buses but not this small village.

“The road is so narrow that drivers hardly want to come through here”, she said. She said that the Prime Minister had also passed by some time ago but apparently hadn’t noticed any problem with the road.

“Maybe some people are too blind to see things that are right under their noses”, she said.

Ms. Ianuari said that the road had always been the way it is however she was pleased that ditches were in place at the village.

“Floods always ruined the roads, but it’s been a while now since there has been any more floods here”, she said. She hoped that government would now look at widening the roads because that’s something that still needs looking at, she said.