The current Government has indicated that, during its first term in office, there are major infrastructural projects which it would work to complete. Among these are the four-lane high-span bridge across the Demerara River and expansion of the road network across the country, especially along the East Bank/East Coast corridors.
Just last week, the President was quoted in the media as saying that Phase One of the Ogle to Haags Bosch four-lane interconnection road is scheduled to start before the end of 2020. He told the media he was confident that financing for Phase Two of the project would be secured once Phase One gets underway.
He said this modern transportation plan would lessen traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor and all interconnected areas, and he also raised the possibility of a third expansion at Providence. A conceptual framework identifying all the connections, drainage and other issues is expected to be compiled this week, so the planning stage could begin.
Traffic congestion in the populated areas along the Coast has proven to be a major bugbear over the years. The road network system in Guyana certainly needs to be expanded to cater for the changes in traffic and movement of people over the years.
The traffic congestion during rush hours in the mornings and evenings is becoming almost unbearable for citizens. These days it is normal to spend more than half-hour in the traffic when going to or coming from work, especially in areas along the East Bank and East Coast corridors, where there is a huge buildup of traffic almost daily.
The traffic situation at the Demerara Harbour Bridge is even worse, and there is no need to detail what occurs there on a daily basis, especially during the period of retraction.
We are therefore pleased that renewed efforts are being made to construct a modern bridge across the Demerara River, since it is clear that the present structure became inadequate a long time ago. In the President’s own words, it is just “limping along”.
Not only is the traffic situation adding to people’s personal frustration, it is certainly having a negative impact on the level of output of our citizens. As a result, this would have a negative impact on production and the economy as a whole, as production hours are lost by way of employees getting to work late, or the fact that they are so tired and stressed the next day after spending long hours either waiting for transportation or stuck in traffic.
The continued establishment of new housing schemes across the country, and the increasing numbers of vehicles being imported into the country are contributing to the traffic-related problems we are currently experiencing. Thousands of persons have now been relocated from the city to other suburban and rural areas, where they were allocated house lots to build their homes. Most of these persons have to travel back to the city, where they work or attend school.
There are a number of steps which could be taken immediately to minimise the impact the problem is having on citizens and their ability to get to their destination with minimal delays. For example, the authorities could work to ensure that there is more Police presence in certain areas, in order to ensure a smooth flow of traffic; and there could be more diversion where there is a heavy traffic buildup etc.
However, these are mere short-term solutions. We believe that an effective way to address the problem is to continue expanding and rehabilitating the road network system in the country, especially in areas that are heavily populated. This would certainly bring a great relief to citizens’ frustrations, and would also help to reduce the number of road fatalities in the country.
The Government has embarked on the right path in terms of plans to improve the country’s infrastructure, and we are confident that the benefits to both individuals and businesses will be tremendous.
