TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin New Article Regarding Airport Fence

This guy just doesn't get it. He has no clue how much this is going to cost, and how much disruption it would cause to everyone who lives or stays in Beacon Hill, as well as how much WORSE it will make the traffic in Simpson Bay. As I saw posted somewhere else recently, how many people, tourists and locals, drown while swimming off St. Maarten/St. Martin's beaches every year? I think possibly at least six so far this year. And they don't have lifeguards and not even any warning system, like red flags, when it's not safe to swim. The minister is not interested in saving lives, he's interested in something else.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" /> This may be a dumb question, but why don't they install a jet blast deflector? I see them at airports and military bases all over.

...because that is one of the many solutions that would make sense and cost infinitely less money..

As I previously said somewhere on one of these threads, there's a lot more money to be made by rerouting the road and relocating all those businesses, not to mention the inconveniences all around, than there is by hiring security personnel or installing barbed wire. Deep pockets want to be filled. Call me a pessimist if you will........ <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Because the cruise lines will lose money selling shore tours to Msho beach to watch the planes

It would not affect plane watching at all

Re-routing the road will make it more difficult for those busses to get there! And the cruise lines are NOT going to stop coming. I don't think they are behind this at all.

Pardon my language but this whole plan can be summed up in two words and the first is cluster...I will substitute Government for the second

Totally dumb....

THIS GOES ROUND AND ROUND. bOTTOME LINE!!! THERE ARE WARNINGS... if YOU DO NOT CHOOSE TO HEED. AT YOUR OWN RISK. PERIOD... COPS CAN NOT BE PLACED THERE, THERE IS NO WHERE FOR THEM TO PARK WITHOUT OBSTRUCTING CARS. COME PEOPLE NEED TO BE VIGILANT AS TO SIGNS... PERIOID... THIS ISLAND NEEDS TO DO NOTHING... THEY PUT A WARNING, THATS IT...

I was going to say "Bull ............." but yours works, too!! Maybe better!!

And sasasal, I agree. This world we live in where no one wants to accept personal responsibility has got to stop! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Common Sense tells you it's not smart to stand directly behind a jet engine The signs tell you that it's dangerous. There are many signs there.

Adults engage your brain, read the signs and come to the proper conclusion. Be responsible for your own actions. The Govt. does not need to do anything.

Big Brother can't watch everything, nor should they.

They will talk and talk about their great plans, but I suspect that nothing much will be done anytime soon. Island time will have a big part to play and often those people involved in making major decisions like to talk a lot without much action involved. In a few months this will all be history and no mention of anything being done to alleviate the problem. It just sounds good now that they are concerned about what has recently happened and suggestions are being put forth. Nothing really needs to be done as the warning signs are in place and people must be responsible for their own actions. Cigarette packages have warnings that smoking can cause death, but people still choose to smoke! Are they going to ban cigarettes to protect people from smoking? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

All you have to do is built a barrier on the fence so the Jet Blast Is absorbed!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

All you have to do is put a barrier on the fence to prevent Jet Blast. End of Story!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

It's to bad the government doesn't worry about fixing the infrastructure of the island instead of this issue. Where in the world does all that tourism money go?

I call you a realist!

This article is just talk. They cannot and will not close that road period.

How many business would you displace traffic out of sight , and how do you proctect the road ? You make motorcycles wear helmets and other laws how many deaths from accidents ,same with cars do you want to protect everyone by making them wear a giant bubble . One death is to much , but over the last 40 years that's not bad . People have to think read the signs and take responsibility for there own actions .

Lesley--I hope that is true. Why does this guy keep saying this stuff then?

This guy isn't too bright. So if they do extend the fence, they can now hit their head on the boulders instead of the divider.

He is new into Politics and as such just chats.

OK, thanks.

Lesley,

Can't tell you how much I'm hoping you're right, and I can't begin to imagine the chaos closing that road would bring, particularly to residents such as yourself not to mention all the businesses that would be effected by such a thing.

I still go back to my original thought of great sympathy to the family and friends of the woman who died, but personal responsibility has to figure into this equation at some point. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Pat for the kind words. Me and my Wife saw the lady laid on the beach and one person was on top of her working on her heart. Then after the ambulance came and went with her. Also a couple of days after she passed away , we saw her Husband placing her picture and some flowers on the Beach. We also placed some yellow flowers on the same spot. Real sad, however since then , people are not going unto fence in big crowds as before. Very hard lesson learnt.

No matter what ones does you just can't fix STUPID!

"STUPID" should be painful

In this case it was DEADLY. No one wants to see dead. However there should be common sense!

Sometimes, STUPID and DEADLY walk hand in hand. I agree that no one wants to see dead, but it was a foregone conclusion that was only waiting to be fulfilled by the passing of time. The warning signs themselves, along the airport fence, predicted/forecast the result that happened.

As Beerman stated in his post on this topic, many, or a I dare say, MOST of us have done plenty of stupid things in our time. This was a family tragedy, for sure, and it really is not productive to continue to call the lady stupid.

By the way...those signs have been there for a LONG!!! time. Everyone has seen them for years...nothing has changed.

I am in no way calling the woman stupid, but I am calling the act committed by the woman which led to her death, stupid.

For 15+ years I have watched people doing the same thing on SXM and have always thought it was a stupid act.

This is no different than those vacationers that arrive on the island and rent a scooter or ATV for their stay and then start driving it like all the local kids by weaving between vehicles, passing when there is no room or speeding down the center in between opposing traffic. I find that behavior to be extremely stupid and no doubt in my mind it will lead to a death at some point if it hasn't already happened.

i have seen no one on the forum calling the woman names. I do think it is possible to identify the acts of someone as stupid without that being the total characterization of the individual.

I agree there is a difference, but I don't read your posts as showing any difference at all..

The beauty of it is, we can agree to disagree