St John folk issued urgent demands for road repairs, expanded bus services and practical skills training for young people, as ministers acknowledged shortcomings and outlined plans for infrastructure upgrades and new vocational programmes at a government Ideas Forum on Thursday night.

Frustrated residents did not hold back on the state of infrastructure, focusing on deteriorating roads and inadequate bus schedules that isolate rural communities.

St John resident Miss O’Neal compared her local road to a famous landmark while urging the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) to reuse old asphalt from major highway projects to patch community roads.