Dealing with traffic congestion

by Jeremiah Howard

St Vincent and the Grenadines has experienced a significant increase in the number of registered vehicles and drivers in the last several years, and navigation of our road network has become a daily issue for drivers and pedestrians alike.

During peak traffic periods, it can take an hour to get from Villa to Kingstown, and vice versa. At times, it is easier to walk through the streets of Kingstown than to drive. Parking in the city is a serious challenge during working hours. All of these issues lead to loss of productivity, an increase in transportation costs, and an overall frustrating experience for the travelling public.

There are a number of options that should be investigated to alleviate these issues.

An up to date traffic study should be commissioned to determine the usage patterns of the main roads in and around Kingstown, with a view to determining the optimal routes for moving traffic through the area.

We should urgently start looking at the possibility of re-opening the Arnos Vale Airport throughway for traffic coming from the Windward side to ease the bottleneck at the roundabout on mornings.

Many drivers would rather spend 15 minutes and circle town two and three times looking for parking right in front of their destination, rather than park and walk for five minutes to get there.

There should be a push for the decentralization of governmental and other services to suburban and rural districts, resulting in fewer persons having to come to town to conduct business, or being employed in the city. Perhaps a Revenue Office in Calliaqua for licensing and other Government services opening till 5 p.m.?

Almost everyone who works in the business centre works from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there are thousands of students who attend classes at the several schools located in Kingstown, meaning that the road network is jammed between the hours of 7 – 8:30 a.m and 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Maybe the time has come to look at introducing flexible working hours, so some persons can work from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. and some from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. or even later, depending on the establishment. That way the peak road usage is spread over a longer period and would make for easier transit.

The use of all roads for all classes of licence at any time of day should be reviewed. Too many times heavy equipment can be seen going past highly populated school districts at inappropriate times of day. Toddlers should not have to navigate through trucks and commercial vehicles, especially in the Richmond Hill school area at peak school times.

Have a safe and hassle free commute.