Bahamas News
05-26-05, - 12:15 AM
Gov’t Promises To Ease Traffic Congestion
Perez Clarke
The Bahama Journal
There could soon be relief in sight for New Providence motorists who continue to face grueling traffic congestion on crowded streets during rush hour.
Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said recently that the Transportation, Policy and Planning Unit of her ministry has completed a blueprint for a unified transportation system for New Providence.
She told The Bahama Journal that very soon it will be presented to a steering committee of industry professionals to be analyzed before implementation.
The Minister said that this system would offer an adequate solution to the vexing traffic congestion on the streets of New Providence during peak hours.
"When we put in place a unified system that is efficient, safe, reliable, and trustworthy, then people would do what they do everywhere else in the world: jump onto the bus and leave their cars at home," Minister Hanna-Martin said.
"The system that we have in place right now, even in the limited market, does not service the general public adequately. There are some roads, like Market Street, where it is so hard to get a bus. It is competitive, and because it is competitive, it lends to certain behaviors on the street."
She added, "I think that people do not have confidence in it, even though it has been old faithful for a number of years. It is important to human well-being and economic development that people are able to be mobile."
The Minister believes that the new system would cause authorities to take a careful look at how bus drivers are scrutinized, trained, and certified to ensure that a comprehensive vetting process is in place when choosing a bus driver.
Bus drivers are engaged in a sacred task because they transport children, the elderly, and members of the general public, she indicated.
The unified transportation system, proposed for New Providence, is said to be based on studies of various transportation systems in Aruba, Puerto Rico, and Barbados.
Minister Hanna-Martin indicated that authorities hope that the unified system would actually be privately owned, but the government would still play a vital role in the organization, and proper management of the system.
Perez Clarke
The Bahama Journal
There could soon be relief in sight for New Providence motorists who continue to face grueling traffic congestion on crowded streets during rush hour.
Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said recently that the Transportation, Policy and Planning Unit of her ministry has completed a blueprint for a unified transportation system for New Providence.
She told The Bahama Journal that very soon it will be presented to a steering committee of industry professionals to be analyzed before implementation.
The Minister said that this system would offer an adequate solution to the vexing traffic congestion on the streets of New Providence during peak hours.
"When we put in place a unified system that is efficient, safe, reliable, and trustworthy, then people would do what they do everywhere else in the world: jump onto the bus and leave their cars at home," Minister Hanna-Martin said.
"The system that we have in place right now, even in the limited market, does not service the general public adequately. There are some roads, like Market Street, where it is so hard to get a bus. It is competitive, and because it is competitive, it lends to certain behaviors on the street."
She added, "I think that people do not have confidence in it, even though it has been old faithful for a number of years. It is important to human well-being and economic development that people are able to be mobile."
The Minister believes that the new system would cause authorities to take a careful look at how bus drivers are scrutinized, trained, and certified to ensure that a comprehensive vetting process is in place when choosing a bus driver.
Bus drivers are engaged in a sacred task because they transport children, the elderly, and members of the general public, she indicated.
The unified transportation system, proposed for New Providence, is said to be based on studies of various transportation systems in Aruba, Puerto Rico, and Barbados.
Minister Hanna-Martin indicated that authorities hope that the unified system would actually be privately owned, but the government would still play a vital role in the organization, and proper management of the system.