Stop railroading us! Should we rail against the rapid rail? Somehow it seems that our politicians can't see the wood for the trees and are missing the big picture. Is it tunnel vision or disdain for us?
Rapid rail may or may not be necessary. What is of paramount importance is transportation efficiency. Why is it that whenever school is closed, the road has less traffic? Is it that so many parents, guardians and school buses stay at home or is it that there is no need to be competing to arrive at the same time as the average worker who begins work at 8 am?
We all agree that the ubiquitous, everyday traffic jams are the result of too many vehicles on the road. The primary challenge then becomes one of lessening the number of vehicles on the road at any given time and this will require a multi-pronged approach, of which one may be the rapid rail.
Decentralisation must be implemented. Our federal capital, Port-of-Spain, should house just the essential government offices, which do not require too much customer interaction, such as the Prime Minister's, President's, Central Bank's, ministries head offices and embassies. Customer services offered by the various ministries should be fully and properly decentralised, obviating the need for visits to Port-of-Spain.
Telecommuting or teleworking, which gives the ability to work from home, must be effected. The technology exists but the necessary legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures must be put in place. Occupational safety and health concerns are paramount. Departmental, group and team meetings could be scheduled twice per month, mid-morning or on afternoons.
An efficient and timely bus transportation service, on a permanent basis, will encourage those who drive to work to leave their vehicles at home, unless they have a truly critical need to use their vehicles on a particular day. Governments continue to purchase new buses and yet more buses remain in disrepair, despite having established a vehicle maintenance company, VMCOTT, many years ago. Efficient leadership is lacking or non-existent.
Not only is an efficient school bus service necessary but schools should not all begin classes at the same time as work. This would necessitate some logistical arrangements to ensure children are not left unsupervised. The system could begin with secondary schools, beginning from Form 2, where the students are more mature and responsible and may require less supervision at home.
A few positive outcomes of the suggestions above will be more country-wide development, more employment and an improved rating of T&T. Don't railroad us into accepting or not, a rapid rail system.
Harjoon Heeralal,
Orange Field Road, Carapichaima