There was chaos in sections of St. Ann on Saturday and Sunday morning as party goers descended on the parish, causing a traffic pile up several miles long.
Traffic was backed up for hours causing gridlock in sections of Mammee Bay, Drax Hall and Ocho Rios in the parish.
At the time of publication some motorists had been stuck in traffic for more than five hours.
It’s understood the parish hosted several popular entertainment events on Saturday, which saw patrons from across the country trying to access party venues in different areas.
Unconfirmed reports say people missed their flights due to the traffic standstill.
It’s understood that tourists also missed their tours.
It’s not immediately clear what traffic management plan was put in place by the St. Ann Municipal Corporation to deal with the increased vehicular traffic.
It’s also not clear whether members of the Constabulary attached to the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch, PSTEB, were manning the traffic along the various routes.
It’s understood residents in several areas had to make it home on foot, after public transportation was brought to a standstill. Some reports indicate persons walked for as many as 45 minutes to their destinations.
Some route taxi operators reportedly increased fares to as high as $1,000 per person.
There are also reports of tourists being forced to make alternative arrangements to get back to hotels and arrive on time for scheduled flights.
Several persons took to social media to share images of the traffic pile up, with many indicating they had been sitting in traffic for more than three hours.
Reports are the municipal authorities in the popular tourist town were unprepared for the influx of patrons.
Entertainment events have been on pause for more than two years due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
