Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 13/Sep 07:54

Extend PBR, water taxi services

THE EDITOR: The bottleneck traffic for drivers entering Port of Spain from the southern, eastern and central areas of Trinidad on Monday – the start of the school term – was unacceptable. WASA reported that a ruptured main caused the need for emergency repairs and the ensuring traffic mayhem which was compounded by a vehicular accident in Laventille. Despite many citizens working from home since the pandemic, any disruption or blockage on any of the highways or main roads results in hours of inconvenience and stress for thousands of citizens. In such circumstances, commuters spend hours travelling to or from their workplace, often impacting schools, services and production levels at businesses – the country suffers. Gridlock traffic affecting thousands that is caused by a disruption on one roadway is symptomatic of a third world country. In TT, it also reflects a level of myopia and complacency where no government has sought to seriously remedy the traffic issue since the introduction of the water taxi service in 2008. Based on the history of corruption among politicians, the issue largely stems from a lack of political will as opposed to lack of funds. Now that the nation’s coffers are at an all-time low, few would expect the present government to fork out significant funds on a project to lessen the traffic that flows into Port of Spain via the Beetham Highway. But if we are to progress, this aspect must form part of the equation, and despite existing priorities, a start for resolving the traffic issues herein must be made sooner than later. No longer should there be talk about extending the Priority Bus Route (PBR) to Sangre Grande with no follow-up action plan. The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure should take up the mantle and conduct a fresh feasibility study to determine how best the initiative can be achieved. If materialsed, residents from Valencia, Sangre Grande and environs who currently drive to PoS and destinations between would then find prudence in commuting via maxi taxi or PTSC bus. This is likely since they would be transported directly to PoS and back home without the inconvenience of having to disembark in Arima to board a connecting vehicle – a situation that occurs daily. Time will also be saved on direct commutes to Sangre Grande since the related buses and maxi taxis would travel on a premium route for the entire journey. Basically, once the PBR is extended to Sangre Grande, more drivers would choose that option resulting in less vehicles on the highways and major roads. Similarly, the water taxi service should be extended to pick up and drop off passengers from Central Trinidad. Thousands of residents from Chaguanas, Chase Village, Freeport and environs would certainly patronise the service if a hub was constructed off the Central coastline – possibly at Waterloo. With astute planning for the hub construction, carpark, an additional water taxi and related logistics, this service extension would complement the existing hubs at Port of Spain and San Fernando. More commuters using the water taxi service equates to less traffic jams going in and out of Port of Spain. The hope is for incremental funding to be afforded for the foregoing projects over the next five years, which would foster gradual and steady progress until this dream turns into reality. While that reality is highly unlikely to manifest before 2030, success will hinge on the government of the day continuing these worthwhile ventures, whether it’s the yellow or red regime in power. DEXTER RIGSBY Mt Lambert The post Extend PBR, water taxi services appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.