Fixing Traffic...

After crime the number one negative social issue that affects most of us on a daily basis is traffic. There are many reasons why we have traffic, but far and away the biggest being the hundreds of thousands of people that needlessly cross each others paths twice daily during rush hour for no good reason. The result of unregulated planning and development over the years, the supposition of this is if we planned ourselves into a problem then we could surely plan ourselves out of it.

Multiple Ministries have an impact on traffic, but none as much as the Ministry of Education as is evident three times for the year when schools are closed. Literally solving two problems at once, we need to do away with the SEA examinations and make all schools ten year schools from Primary to CXC. The SEA exams tries to do what a proper education system should do, and that is manage the performance of the students and the schools that they attend simultaneously. If all schools were ten year schools based on a performance system then parents would be encouraged to enroll their children in schools closest to where they live. The revamping of the education system that could be built on this policy would be dealt with in depth at another time, but it is mentioned here strictly from the impact of schools on traffic.

We have been talking about decentralization for years as a solution to traffic woes and yet despite the amount of time and studies done it has largely remained just talk. While we have to agree that certain boroughs like Chaguanas that were allowed to spring up unregulated over the years will require much more intervention, acquisition and demolition if anything like sense is going to prevail there, on the widest possible scale many of our problems could be solved through policy and functions of Government. As a start, employers should be encouraged to stagger work hours where possible, allow telecommunication as an option and provide showers, lockers and changing rooms for staff members who choose to ride or even run to work.

Government Administration Centers should be built in every constituency, negating the need to travel to city centers to process necessary but easily decentralized tasks. Passports, drivers permits, identification cards, taxes should all be processed at these locations as well as other necessary things not mentioned here. The Port of Port of Spain should  be relocated east of the Beetham landfill, removing much of the trucking traffic out of Port of Spain and freeing up miles of waterfront property for high end development.

- Trucks should be barred from all streets and roads from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday (hereafter referred to as 'peak time') freeing up much needed road-space. The retail community should be encouraged to engage in warehouse restocking activities at night if possible, as unrestricted traffic during shopping hours will benefit their bottom line almost immediately.

- All roadworks should be done after 9:00 p.m. and before 5:00 a.m. or on weekends wherever practical or possible.

- Traffic lights need to be sequenced in series (especially at peak time), so that a car  encountering  traffic lights would have all green lights or all red lights until after the series in both directions.

- Taxis, maxi taxis and buses should all be made to use designated transport stops, and these stops should be indented wherever possible to allow for them to pull completely off of the roads.

- The priority bus route should be used during peak time as a car pool lane, but requiring no less than three persons in the car for it to be used.

Finally, Traffic Wardens should be made mobile as highly visible road and highway patrols with contact to police radio cars should they require support, and should be charged with handing out tickets to those who disobey the rules of the road. They should also be dispatched to all major existing 'trouble spots' to assist during peak times.

While these suggestions would not bring a complete end to traffic, properly done as suggested they would have such a significant impact on the existing problem as to do away with the need for unaffordable mass transit schemes at this time. This is a problem that could be solved by the people themselves if the right policies are put in place and the right signals sent from on top, the way a properly functioning society is supposed to be.