This section presents a review of current
transportation system characteristics, issues and proposals for Port of Spain
and sets out the draft strategy for accessibility improvement and movement
of goods and people within, to and through the capital city. Forecasts of land use and socio-economic changes
in Greater Port of Spain area as outlined above have been taken into account.
Interviews with organisations and individuals
involved in the transport sector of Trinidad have been carried out and their
views, experiences and recommendations have been noted. These are included at Annex 1.
Previous transportation studies for
Port of Spain have been reviewed and where relevant, their outcomes have been
incorporated. Qualitative and quantitative
approaches have been used to carry out a preliminary phasing strategy for
the identified schemes.
A programme of surveys and collection
of traffic and transport demand information is currently under way.
Broad forecasts of travel demand will be made after the completion
of traffic data collection which will enable cross-checking and where possible
updating of previous forecasts and assumptions. A more quantified approach to ranking of the
identified schemes may also be achievable.
The data collection is from three sources:
1.
Direct
surveys along Beetham Highway, Priority Bus Route and Eastern Main Road.
2.
Data
available in the Traffic Management Centre of Ministry of Works.
3.
Recent
surveys undertaken by Halcrow.
The results of the analysis will be
included in the draft final report of this study. After that stage, more detailed
study and assessment of the proposed major transportation projects will be
required prior to implementation.
Transportation
in the Port of Spain area is essentially highway based, with transport of
goods and people by sea from the port complex (ferry, coastal and ocean-going
vessels) providing connections to Tobago, to other Caribbean nations and world-wide.
The
road hierarchy in Trinidad relates to highway maintenance responsibilities,
with the Ministry of Works and Transport being responsible for main highways
and municipal corporations responsible for local roads. The main highway corridor through Port of Spain
runs from the north west to south east via Mucarapo Road, Wrightson Road,
Beetham Road and into the Churchill Roosevelt Highway . From the east, the Eastern Main Road and the
Priority Bus Route also terminate in the central business core.
From
the north west and north east two other important routes converge on the Savannah
to run into Uptown/Downtown via Saddle Road from Maraval and Lady Young Road
from St Anns, Cascade and further east. The latter route acts as a bypass for traffic from Barataria and
the eastern corridor.
The
Beetham Highway and its continuation as Churchill Roosevelt Highway is a high
quality dual carriageway link that is the major east-west link from Arima
and the international airport.. Within
Port of Spain, the Beetham Highway continues along the Gulf of Paria eventually
becoming Foreshore Highway/Wrightson Road to link with the highway network
to the west of the city. Access to
downtown Port of Spain for westbound traffic exists via the junctions of Wrightson
Road with Broadway and Edward Street. Access to the centre of Port of Spain can also be gained via Colville
Street.
The
Eastern Main Road (EMR) is a two way single carriageway road. At its entry point to Port of Spain it is upgraded
to a dual two-lane road before becoming South Quay. South Quay is a dual carriageway standard
road with but no median to divide the opposing traffic movements.
The
Priority Bus Route constructed on a disused railway track is an exclusive
two-way single carriageway road accommodating public transport, buses and
maxi taxis, but is also used by other licensed vehicles including emergency
services (fire, police and ambulance) as well as private cars.
The
western corridor comprises the Foreshore Highway, Mucurapo Road and the Western Main Road. The Foreshore highway
is a dual two-lane carriageway road that becomes Wrightson Road in the western
periphery of the Downtown/Woodbrook area.
The
Western Main Road is a two-way single carriageway road dividing the developed
area of St. James and Cocorite before joining with Mucarapo Road to run on
towards Diego Martin, Westmoorings and Chaguaramas.
The
northern corridor comprises Saddle Road from the north west and Lady Young
Road from the north east. Both roads are single carriageways and pass through
and along valleys from the northern hillside communities.
The
Port of Spain area is the major employment centre of the country and daily
travel to work and for business, shopping and leisure represents a significant
movement of people and goods.
The
1996 transportation study (EDM-Cansualt) suggested that some 20,000 person
trips were made to Port of Spain during the AM peak hour from the entry points
to the east of the city (Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, Priority Bus Route and
Eastern Main Road). This represented
some 65% of the total incoming person trips to Port of Spain and 40 to 50%
of total AM peak traffic.
Conversion
of these numbers to person trips between 06.00-09.00 hours provides an estimate
of 90,000 people entering Port of Spain each morning.
The
outflow of people from Port of Spain during the AM peak hour via the eastern
gates was also significant at some 12,000 persons (i.e. some 36,000 person
trips during the three hour AM peak period).
These
figures relate to 1996 data and it can be expected that, since that time some
10 to 15% growth in travel demand has been experienced, due to increases in
employment and car ownership.
The
latest estimate of people's daily travel to and from Port of Spain would be
about 500,000 person trips per day, excluding nighttime and weekend leisure
trips. The EDM-Cansault study identified
that 50% of trips in Port of Spain were made by public transport and that
vehicle occupancy rates were about 2.5 per car and 12.5 per maxi taxi.
This growth in the (national) ownership
of private vehicles has exacerbated traffic congestion on the highway system,
particularly within and around downtown Port of Spain. Table
4.1 shows the rate of increase in the number of vehicles registered
in Trinidad and Tobago.
Table 4.1 Growth in the Number of Registered Vehicles (in Trinidad and Tobago)
|
Vehicle Type |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
% Growth 1993 -
2000 |
|
Motorcycle |
2,144 |
2,227 |
2,350 |
2,458 |
2,537 |
2,731 |
2,860 |
2,914 |
35.9 |
|
Private |
135,397 |
137,209 |
141,047 |
152,754 |
165,489 |
182,253 |
196,105 |
203,398 |
50.2 |
|
Rented |
2,755 |
4,004 |
4,638 |
5,537 |
6,085 |
6,598 |
7,026 |
7,276 |
164.1 |
|
Hired |
20,492 |
20,523 |
20,689 |
21,443 |
22,285 |
24,084 |
25,814 |
26,462 |
29.1 |
|
Goods |
35,815 |
36,769 |
38,625 |
41,196 |
43,841 |
46,990 |
49,649 |
51,091 |
42.7 |
|
Omnibus |
271 |
271 |
271 |
271 |
271 |
272 |
317 |
348 |
28.4 |
|
Total |
204,650 |
208,999 |
215,895 |
232,670 |
250,140 |
273,384 |
292,908 |
303,035 |
48.1 |
Source:
Vehicle Registry Office of Trinidad, 2000
·
Inc. tractors, trailers and industrial vehicles
If the recent rate of private vehicle registration
continues, car traffic in terms of daily vehicle-km driven on roads, could
double in the next fifteen years and consequently, the relative share of public
transport against private mode will shift significantly in favour of private
vehicles.
A
major programme of road construction and capacity improvement would be required
to cater for this rapid increase in private vehicle use, but this is unlikely
to prove sustainable in either economic or environmental terms.
The
most comprehensive data regarding parking supply and demand in Port of Spain
has been provided in the EDM-Cansult report.
The parking supply in downtown Port of Spain was estimated around 4500
spaces compared with demand of 4000 in 1996.
These data are however likely to significantly underestimate the total
level of parking demand compared with labour demand and commuting into the
city of Port of Spain (nearly 60,000
jobs have been estimated in Downtown/Uptown alone).
It
is expected that recent increases in vehicle registrations/ownership is placing
increasing pressure on the provision of parking and is possibly a reason for
some relocation of employment out of the traditional core area. Table 4.2
shows various forms of parking supply and demand in Port of
Spain in 1996.
Table 4.2 Parking Supply and Demand in Port of Spain, 1996
|
|
Off-Street Public |
Off-Street Private |
Off-Street Legal |
On-Street Illegal |
On-Street Taxi |
Total |
|
Parking Supply |
1575 |
2358 |
369 |
0 |
185 |
4487 |
|
Parking Demand |
1242 |
1779 |
273 |
514 |
164 |
3972 |
Source:
EDM-Cansault, Port of Spain- East/West Corridor Transportation Study 1996
The
public transport system comprises large single deck buses (administered by
the government-controlled Public Transport Service Corporation) and midi and
mini buses (maxi taxis), and licensed taxis and unlicensed PH taxis, all of
which are private sector-owned and operated.
Small
maxi taxis operate with the capacity of less than 12 passengers and large
maxi taxis with capacity between 13 to 25 passengers. Overall, some 4400 maxi taxis operate in Trinidad and are organised
via Maxi Taxi Associations. All of
these vehicles run on licensed routes.
Route
1 provides some 700 small and 200 large maxi taxis that operate between Port
of Spain and Diego Martin and the north west suburban corridor to Westmoorings
and Chaguaramas.
Route
2 consists of 1,300 small and 500 large maxi taxis operating along the Eastern
Corridor. Finally, some 810 and 110
small and large maxi taxis operate on the Route 3 between Port of Spain and
southern parts of the country towards Chaguanas and San Fernando.
Mini
buses (maxi taxis) meet the majority of public transport demand. Their contribution to transport in Trinidad
and Port of Spain should be recognised and measures to improve their quality
of service need to be undertaken, by concessions and regulatory measures. It should be borne in mind that the industry
is currently largely financially self-sufficient and requires minimal government
assistance.
Licensed
taxis also operate to well-defined routes between Port of Spain and the settlements
around the city, though there is some flexibility with regard to destination
stops. These ‘sedan’ taxis carry up to five passengers.
Unlicensed
‘PH’ taxis also operate on a roadside hail and ride basis usually over short
distances but these do not run on fixed schedules, i.e. they tend to operate
on a more flexible basis as a supplement to licensed services at off-peak,
at night time or at weekends. Their
continued use however denotes that they serve a particular market niche.
Considering
the potential for employment growth, increases in new household formation
and the likely migration of young people to seek work in the city, nearly
40,000 new jobs has been predicted in Greater Port of Spain in the next 20
years, many of whom would be commuters.
A
continuation of recent car ownership trends, combined with decreasing occupancy
rates, due to improved income levels could lead to a shift from public transport
and an increase in demand for highway capacity of around 70% in the next decade.
The
figure is an estimate from the continuation of the recent 6-7% p.a. growth
in vehicle registrations experienced in Trinidad.
To
accommodate the predicted travel demand, a progressive programme of maintaining
and enhancement of public transport should be given priority. A culture of
public transport use exists in Trinidad and should be maintained in order
to enhance the quality of life and economic benefits to Port of Spain and
the country.
The
Port complex and harbour is administered by the Port Authority of Trinidad
and Tobago (PATT). A combination of
government-owned vehicular and passenger ferries, private sector coastal vessels,
cruise ships and cargo ships provide a wide variety of services.
At
the national level, the number of passenger arrivals and departures by sea
in Trinidad has increased steadily between 1992 and 1996, after a reduction
between 1987 and 1992. Table
4.3 shows total passenger arrivals and departures between 1992 and
1996.
Table 4.3 Number of International Passenger Arrivals and Departures between
1992 and 1996
|
Year |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
Growth 1992 –96 (%) |
|
Arrivals |
22,742 |
28,349 |
53,121 |
28,991 |
30,871 |
35.7 |
|
Departures |
21,911 |
28,629 |
53,991 |
31,469 |
30,727 |
40.2 |
Source:
Annual Statistical Digest Central Statistical Office, Trinidad and Tobago
Although
the passenger data tend to show that sea transport does not form a significant
proportion of daily transport demand in Trinidad, the international cruise
ships that use the port's facilities provide important linkages to the international
and regional leisure and tourist industry
The
daily ferry service to Tobago takes some 6 hours per single (one-way) trip
and is vital as a transport service for some sections of the community including
for cargoes, as well providing an important link to promote national integration.
The
Port of Port of Spain is the main public port of the country and handles nearly
all general cargo, part of which is trans-shipped to other local or regional
ports. In addition to accommodating
facilities for tourist-vessels and ferries, the Port provides for coastal
and fishing activities, loading and unloading cargo, fresh water and other
supplies. Barge bunkering is available.
Over
the last ten years, container traffic in Port of Spain has increased by some
490% from 48,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) to 235,000 TEUs. Trans-shipment has accounted for more than
50% of this growth with the number of vessels doubling to 1250 in 1998. The growth is on the increase as the Port of
Port of Spain has successfully established itself, by virtue of its modern
facilities and quick turn around, as the leading trans-shipment centre in
the Eastern Caribbean.
Considering
the above, it is evident that the Port Authority’s operations make vital contributions
to the economy. There is an increasing
demand for cargo handling space, particularly for containers. This demand for increased space and facilities
is not unexpected, as the existing container terminal is now operating at
some 10% beyond its original design capacity.
Following
review of the available documents and consultations with representatives of
Government, private sector organisations and transport experts in Trinidad,
the following highway and public transportation schemes have been identified.
·
Piccadilly
Bypass Road: a dual two-lane road proposal to link the Beetham Highway to
the Savannah via Charlotte Street, aimed at providing an (eastern) bypass
for Port of Spain;
·
Maraval
Parkway: A proposed dual two lane carriageway road to link Saddle Road in
the north west from Cocorite and Wrightson Road to the south west and aimed
at providing a western bypass road for Port of Spain;
·
Improvement
of Wrightson Road and construction of a Waterfront Development southern bypass:
to increase highway capacity between east and west Port of Spain, to/from
the proposed Downtown and provide additional capacity required due to developments
at the Waterfront;
·
Traffic
management measures in Downtown Port
of Spain;
·
Improvement
of intersections on Wrightson Road with Downtown Port of Spain, (intersections
between Wrightson Road and the Broadway, Independence Square, Edward Street
and Colville Street);
·
Introduction
of parking controls in Downtown.
·
A
gradual increase in the number of large maxi taxis and a reduction in the
number of small maxi taxis to improve quality of service and reduce congestion;
·
Introduction
of shuttle bus services in Downtown;
·
Regulation
of maxi taxi operation;
·
Introduction
of shuttle bus services around Savannah and Uptown;
·
Pedestrianisation
of Downtown integrated with the proposed Waterfront developments;
·
Introduction
of ferry routes between Port of Spain, Chaguaramas to the west and Couva,
Point Lisas, San Fernando and Point Fortin to the south.
·
Provision
of Light Rail Transit between the proposed Waterfront development at Sea Lots
and Invaders Bay through South Quay;
·
Provision
of a Light Rail Transit service between Port of Spain, Arima and Sangre Grande;
The
Port Authority has proposed the expenditure of some $200 million on equipment
and infrastructure enhancement over the period 1999 – 2000, particularly to accommodate the rapid increase
in containerisation.
At
the individual project level, the financial, economic and environmental benefits
of the identified schemes will need to be evaluated. Ideally, a strategic transportation framework
for Trinidad and detailed transport action plans for critical transport corridors
or areas in Port of Spain are required to evaluate and rank each of the proposed
schemes based on their environmental, economic and financial costs and benefits.
A
qualitative evaluation based on perceived benefits against implementation
costs has been undertaken, noting that the provision of transport infrastructure
schemes are costly and a heavy burden on public sector/government budgets.
In
the evaluation, accessibility improvement has been used as a proxy measure
of economic or financial benefit. The
sources of benefit are reduction in travel times, operating cost savings (vehicle
depreciation and fuel saving) and accident savings. The environmental benefits are as a result
of the reduction in noise, pollution, visual intrusion and environmental degradation.
The
benefits identified are the likely benefits accrued to the areas directly
accessed by the proposed schemes. Secondary
or indirect benefits have not been included.
Table 4.4
summarises the accessibility and environmental impacts (benefits or dis-benefits)
of the identified land transportation schemes on the communities and settlements
in the Greater Port of Spain area.
Table 4.4 Potential Impacts of Identified Schemes on Communities in Greater
Port of Spain
|
Proposed Transport Scheme |
Settlement/ Community |
Laventille |
St Ann's |
Belmont & East Dry River |
Downtown & Uptown |
Maraval Valley |
St Clair & Ellerslie |
WoodB,k& St James |
Cocorite& Dibe |
|
City
Centre Parking Control |
Environment |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Improve
Maxi Taxi Operation |
Environment |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Accessibility |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Down
Town & Uptown Shuttle Bus Service |
Environment |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Traffic
Management in Town Centre |
Environment |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Improvement
of Wrightson Road & Bypass |
Environment |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Piccadilly
Bypass Road |
Environment |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
|
Sea
Routes to P.O.S |
Environment |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
|
Maraval
Parkway |
Environment |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Accessibility |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
|
LRT
between East Gate and West Gate |
Environment |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Accessibility |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Eastern
Corridor LRT |
Environment |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Accessibility |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Source: Halcrow 2000
For
the purpose of this draft Master Plan an attempt has been made to provide
a phased action programme based on an assessment of existing identified schemes
above and new study team proposals. Many of the proposals have been identified
in earlier studies. Here an attempt
has been made to place them in a wider land use and socio-economic context.
Proposals
for each stage will need to be re-appraised in the light of success or otherwise
of the prior stages. The schemes have
been grouped into immediate, short term, medium term and long term actions.
The
over-riding strategy for transport has been to emphasise the significant role of public
transport and the increasing importance of obtaining private sector involvement
in its provision: the maxi-taxi industry
is a good current example. An active involvement of the private sector in
financing and operation of transportation schemes including highway access
schemes and car parks should also be sought to reduce the financial burden
on the government.
The
overall vision has been to promote a policy of integrated and sustainable
transport to achieve economic growth and reduce environmental damage to the
city. The system produced should be seen as complementary rather than competitive,
with each mode being used appropriate to its function, service requirements
and capacity.
The
general policy direction is as follows:
·
Priority
for and continued promotion of public transport, integrated with traffic management
and parking/park and ride schemes, especially in the central area/ Downtown.
This is seen as particularly important to cater for the expected increase
in journeys to work over the plan period, as a viable complement to private
car use;
·
Increasing
private sector involvement in provision, operation and management of transport
services;
·
environment
sustainability; and
·
government
moving towards a role as a regulator and policy maker and away from a funder
of schemes or provider of services.
The
general strategy for the ranking and implementation of schemes should be along
the following lines:
·
High
Priority : immediate
and short term projects which are non-contentious, are low cost and readily
implementable, including traffic management
and parking schemes, and provision for pedestrians and especially for mobility
impaired on priority routes, these will necessarily involve landscape and
townscape enhancement schemes;
·
Medium
Priority : long
term projects which are higher cost and focus on capacity improvements, and
are likely to require more detailed study and consultation. However in some cases planning for these projects
will need to be commenced soon, so that maximum benefit is eventually obtained
when integrated with the short term measures.
The
Immediate Action Plan should target a progressive reduction in the use of
private vehicles within the central area/ Downtown, particularly during working
hours of the day, through the following measures:
·
Based
on previous work, undertake a comprehensive
parking study for Downtown between Wrightson Road, Piccadilly Road, Park Street
and Edward Street including cost benefit and revenue analysis of the proposed
parking control schemes.
·
Introduce
and enforce restrictions on on-street parking, particularly for long-stay
commuter parking; initial focus in Downtown (Independence Square/Frederick
Street);
·
Improvement
of (bus and) maxi taxis quality of service, including regulating the service
and improving the Priority Bus Route by provision of bus stops and bus shelters
and minimising non-public transport vehicles use on the PBR, with a gradual
shift towards operation of larger maxi taxis;
·
Identification
of priority pedestrian routes and provision for pedestrian crossings in Downtown
area and facilities for mobility impaired
(e.g. drop kerbs) where pedestrian demand is high and in conflict with
vehicular traffic; initially along Independence Square and Frederick
Street; these to be linked with townscape
improvement schemes;
·
Improvement
of lane marking and signage in Downtown streets; to be integrated with the above;
·
Optimisation
of traffic signal timings and signal co-ordination;
·
Re-location
of the route taxi stands to the periphery
of Downtown;
The
short-term action plan should be fine-tuned from the lessons learnt during
the implementation of measures during the immediate action plan. The following
are most likely to be amongst the front runner schemes:
·
Introduction
of Controlled Parking and traffic Management Zones (CPMZ) in central area;
initially focused on Downtown; this to identify scope for:
·
adjusting
car park capacity in the city centre according to the outcome of the parking
policies and regulations at the earlier stage aiming to balance and control
commuter parking supply and demand;
·
controlled
parking zone initially to include an area between Park Street, Piccadilly Street,, Wrightson Road and Colville
Street/Newtown;
·
reducing
number of lanes in Independence Square to a single lane with controlled short
term parking at either side of the road and improved pedestrian movement facilities
and crossings along its corridor;
·
Expansion
of pedestrian only or pedestrian priority corridors in central area/Downtown;
linked to townscape heritage improvement schemes;
·
Undertake
a study of public transport demand
and supply, and adjust the public transport service to cater for increased
demand as a result of the reduction in highway capacity in Downtown central
area; this to examine:
·
Priority
for bus/maxi taxi/bus only lanes/one-way route in Downtown/Uptown possibly
using proposed road hierarchy loop along Charlotte Street, South Quay, Edward
Street and Gordon Street;
·
Introduction
of low floor and high quality small hoppa-buses (25-30 seats) for operation
in city central area and between transport hubs/cruise ship terminal and Waterfront
tourist facilities in Downtown as identified on above route;
·
Selective
highway junction improvements at Broadway, Sackville Street, Edward Street
(with Wrightson Road)
·
Identification
of Gateway sites at major highway entrances to city in west, north and east,
linked to parking, environmental/townscape enhancements and public transport
facilities (in some locations);
It
is assumed that the Waterfront Project would be in progress as planned and
between 40 to 60% of the development could be in place within this time horizon. Medium term measures could include:
·
Extend
controlled parking in the CPMZ city core zone to Piccadilly Street, along
Wrightson Road, vicinity of Maraval Road/Maraval Circular Road, Woodbrook
and Victoria Estate;
·
Introduce
priority public transit/bus services/lanes between Sea Lots, along South Quay/Independence
Square, then along Wrightson Road to Invaders Bay;
·
Improve
intersections on Wrightson Road to include bus only/priority provision and
pedestrian overpass facilities and construct Waterfront Development distributor
road to act as southern bypass leg of city loop road;
·
Introduce/extend
park and ride facilities near the City Gateway sites including e.g. Cocorite/Western
Main Road, Hasely Crawford stadium/Invaders Bay, Saddle Road/NW Savannah,
Lady Young Road/Belmont Road/NE Savannah intersections; and Sea Lots/Beetham
Highway/East Dry River flyover;
·
Improve
Piccadilly Street to a dual two-lane carriageway as part of the provision
of a city centre loop road (eastern) bypass strategy.
This
time horizon assumes that the Waterfront development would be in place and
the CPMZ provisions have been implemented to control private vehicle traffic
within central Port of Spain. Further
measures should be undertaken to complement the previous actions and policies
aimed at improving the quality of life within and around the Greater Port
of Spain, particularly in the areas confined between the Dry River, Maraval
River and the Savannah. These considerations should include:
·
A
shuttle transit system within Port of Spain linking the Downtown along South
Quay, City Gateways at Independence Square/Cruise ship terminal and the Waterfront
Development at Invaders Bay;
·
A
main line haul/LRT system along the Eastern Corridor between Port of Spain
and the Piarco international airport Complex; eventually towards Arima and
Sangre Grande to complement priority
bus services and enhance quality of public transport;
·
Priority
bus services on bus-only lanes linking Downtown, Uptown and the Savannah,
as part of the clean and high quality public transportation policy;
·
Construct
Maraval corridor Parkway for vehicle traffic as part of (western) bypass of
central area/Downtown and Uptown core from Invaders Bay/Hasely Crawford stadium
towards Saddle Road;
·
Introduce
maritime ferries/services sea route between Port of Spain, Chaguaramas, Couva,
San Fernando.
The
implementation of each of the above proposed improvements should be the subject
of detailed cost benefit analysis and confirmation that each transport option
is viable and serves as part of an overall sustainable transport strategy
in environmental, economic and financial terms.
A
number of highway, public transport parking and pedestrian schemes for the
improvement of transport and traffic movement in and around Port of Spain
have been identified. For the major
proposals, it is recommended that
detail studies be undertaken to evaluate each of the schemes based on their
economic, financial and environmental benefits as part of a strategic transportation
plan for Trinidad. Recommended studies
for the improvement of the transport system in the Greater Port of Spain area
should be accorded priority and include the following:
·
Town
Centre Traffic Management Study; including, one-way road schemes, parking
restrictions, signalisation, signal optimisation and offsets, and pedestrian/mobility
impaired measures in order to improve traffic and pedestrian circulation in the centre of Port of Spain
and to gauge the impact of highway improvements in the city; this could also incorporate: Parking Study for Downtown/Uptown including
revenue forecasts and revenue maximisation study; and potential for private
sector participation;
·
Greater
Port of Spain Public Transport Study including supply, demand, revenue forecasts
and service improvement study; including short and long term proposals and
options for promoting and enhancing Public and Private Partnership (PPP Schemes)
in provision, operation and franchising of public transport facilities.
Annex 1. Data and Consultations
Documents
reviewed were:
·
Port
of Spain Transportation Study, EDM-Cansult, 1996;
·
Port
of Spain Local Area Concept Plan, Halcrow Fox 1999,
·
Annual
Statistical Digest, Central Statistical Office of Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago 1997;
·
Port
of Spain Waterfront Land Use Plan and Development Proposals, UDeCoTT 2000.
Consultations
and discussions were conducted with the following organisations and individuals:
1.
Chief
Traffic Engineer Ministry of Works and Transport of Trinidad, Mr Suresh Jogie;
2.
Port
Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Christopher Mendez;
3.
Public
Transport Service Corporation, Mr Edison Isaac;
4.
Vehicle
Registry Office of Trinidad, Mr Douglas;
5.
Route
2 Maxi Taxi Association; Mr Victor George;
6.
Transport
Strategy Group of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Hilton Charles Chairman;
7.
UDeCoTT,
Dr Rae Furlong; and
8.
Transport
Specialist, Consultant and University Lecturer; Dr Trevor Townsend.
9.
Trintoplan
Consultants Mr Ron Nurse and Mr Ken Razack;
10.
ADeB
Consultants, Mr Shafi Khan; and
11.
Human
Settlement Consultant; Mr Ivan Laughlin;