If this was, as has been suggested by some, simply a traffic experiment, it has gone horribly wrong. Works and Infrastructure Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan and the officials managing this project must immediately return to the drawing board and come up with a better plan.
The traffic gridlock caused by yesterday's early-morning protests over the closure of the west-to-east turn back on the Western Main Road, Cocorite, is another reminder of the poor state of traffic management.
In a scenario that has become all too familiar, all it took was a handful of residents who vented their anger and frustration by blocking the roadway with piles of burning debris to cause chaos and inconvenience. As a result, thousands of commuters were trapped for hours as they tried to go about their daily business at work or at school.
Some have aready condemned the protest as the action of a lawless few, which it may well be; but there should also be concern that such seems to be the preferred action for communities and groups who want attention and quick action from the authorities, because they feel there is no other way to get it. In addition, the protest, unruly though it was, had to do with a very valid concern that affects large numbers of people living and working in west Trinidad. After all, there was bound to be an angry reaction when an important roadway was abruptly shut off with no advance warning. While officials of the Ministry of Works are claiming otherwise, whatever advance notice was published or broadcast before barriers were installed, it was ineffectual.
At the very least this was a very badly managed change to a route used daily by thousands, made worse by the fact that it was done without any prior consultation with the residents who are directly affected by it–along with patients and emergency vehicles trying to reach the hospital in Cocorite as quickly as possible.
For some months now, ever since the first phase of the $60 million Diego Martin Highway Expansion was opened, residents have been subjected to traffic changes and inconveniences.
It is to their credit that, until yesterday, these changes have been endured with only mild complaints, even though some road users feel there has been no change for the better.
While they wait patiently for the long-promised alleviation in traffic congestion that should result from this project, it is only fair that the residents should be kept informed of progress and given adequate notification of any changes in traffic flow, particularly when the change results in a long and inconvenient detour.
While road and highway improvements are always welcome, the Works Ministry and other agencies involved in this project need to be more mindful of the impact some adjustments have on the travelling public. The objective should be to minimise, not increase, problems.
If this was, as has been suggested by some, simply a traffic experiment, it has gone horribly wrong. Works and Infrastructure Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan and the officials managing this project must immediately return to the drawing board and come up with a better plan.
While yesterday's chaos lasted only a few hours, it was torture for those who went though it, and it resulted in massive losses in terms of time and productivity. That is the last thing that should happen with a project intended to bring progress and improvements.