Assumption is a terrible disease it places you in situations you never dreamed of coming face to face with. I always say be prepared but some times when you are so used to being prepared you end up lapsing and a just this one lapse can bring you a situation where turning back is not an option, you must find away over the barrier literally.

Recently I found my self staring at the barrier of the toll plaza on the portmore highway but I could not 

get across. My traveling partner and I had assumed one of us had the cash to pay. When we realized there was no cash among us we quickly pulled over and began searching all crevice and corners of our pockets, handbags,under the mats, you named it we search until we only had 100 dollars. With no other option we proceeded to reason with the toll operator who insisted that we would have to leave the Car. Which would result in one of us locating an ATM and return before we could drive across. Lucky for us an elderly man behind signaled to us that he would pay and that is how we made our escape to freedom.

Rise in Toll Fees
With no obvious change in the economy that signals the end if the "band belly" era I like many Jamaicans will certainly suffocate with this increase. It is already difficult to find money to buy gasoline and service our vehicles now we will have to budget more for toll, a budget that is already in a negative balance so how do they propose we live.

What Alternatives?
Mandela highway is not an alternative. As early as 630am traffic is backed up from as far as central village. The traffic from portmore is backed up from the roundabout on to hi 95. A third lane was implemented on Mandela but it only accommodates the JUTC buses. All other modes of transportation sits in traffic for an estimated 35_45 minutes since the highway merges with Mandela.

Solutions
i am still thinking

But there has to be a way to hold the cost of prices. Everything cannot be rising except income. It is not logical to ask persons to Car pool. Every family has a different time table and needs. People have made sacrifices so that their family can live comfortable and regardless of the rise in food prices, electricity bills, crime rate among other things people are trying to make do with the little they have. They make themselves happy with what they have. How much more do you think the consumers will be able to bear.

Keep tighten the belt and very soon you will have an economy of hopeless angry and unhappy people. They are giving up, tried too hard to live. It is too hard to survive. There must be a,way without sacrificing the people.