President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (Doma) Gregory Aboud has suggested some major traffic plans to Port-of-Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing. Aboud asked Lee Sing to consider making the Western Main Road in St James one-way westbound and Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook one-way eastbound. "We are particularly anxious for the need for collaboration between the Port-of-Spain City Corporation and the central government," Aboud said. "Many important needs in our respectful view cannot be met unless there is collaboration on subjects such as infrastructure, water and sewer, electricity, drainage, the Central Market and traffic management."
He was speaking at the first quarterly meeting held by Doma at Jaffa Restaurant, Queen's Park Oval, Tragarete Road, yesterday. Lee Sing was the feature speaker. Aboud asked Lee Sing to consider joining with the business community, residents of St James and the Ministry of Works to discuss the possibility of the new plans. He said Mucurapo Road and Delhi Street should be one-way eastbound. Consideration should also be given to transforming Long Circular Road and Boissierre Village into a one-way roundabout in a clockwise position on a permanent basis, he added.
He said by making Ariapita Avenue one-way eastbound and Tragarete Road one-way westbound, motorists could proceed west beyond Roxy Roundabout and enter St James which should also be one-way westbound. Aboud also suggested a multi-level parking facility in the vicinity of the Foreshore or the Hasely Crawford Stadium. "Your worship, we want greatness for our city and our country," he said.
"We welcome your vigorous start, but we ask you to sometimes remember that Rome was not built in a day. "We are ready to work with you and the central government on policies that can strengthen commerce and in effect, strengthen Port-of-Spain." He assured Port-of-Spain was "alive" and not "dead" according to some people.