JSC probes traffic management in Trinidad and Tobago

Chairman of the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure Independent Senator Sophia Chote, SC, at the J Hamilton Maurice Meeting Room, Parliamentary Complex, Cabildo Building, St Vincent Street, Port of Spain on January 7. - Photo courtesy TT Parliament

MEMBERS of the Parliament's Land and Physical Infrastructure Joint Select Committee (JSC) questioned whether there are co-ordinated policies or strategies to deal with traffic management in TT. They posed these questions to representatives of the police, Works and Infrastructure Ministry and Civil Aviation and Transport Ministry's during a public hearing at the Cabildo Building, Port of Spain on January 7.

JSC vice-chairman and Housing Minister David Lee said many members of the public question why traffic exercises undertaken by the police and the Licensing Division often take place during peak traffic times during the morning and afternoon. He added many people believe this is done "to frustrate the travelling public."

Lee said an example of what he is referring to happened "this morning on the Beetham (Highway)."

In response to Lee's concerns, Transport Commissioner Clive Clarke said his officers are aware of the hindrance this can cause to motorists. He told JSC members these are joint exercises between the police and the Licensing Authority.

Clarke said while he does not have the authority to cancel such exercises, he can direct licensing officers on how to treat with motorists so as to avoid inconveniencing them and still performing their duties.

On the latter, he continued, licensing officers have found many people in these exercises who lack proper documentation with respect to matters such as vehicle registration.

Clarke said the Licensing Authority is seeking to move to a situation where it could rely more on technology rather than physical manpower to detect people who may be in breach of different traffic regulations. "We need to find a period of nexus."

He added the authority has been working for several years now to digitise information it has it pertains to driver's licences, vehicle registration and other similar information. "We do have access to that data."

Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) (Specialised Support) Brian Soodeen agreed with Clarke about co-ordination between police and licensing officers on traffic exercises. Soodeen said the decision as to when to do these exercises is often "intelligence-led."

JSC chair, Independent Senator Sophia Chote, SC, said traffic congestion created as a result of traffic exercises by police and licensing officers can spawn several issues of concern.

Chote listed people being ill trying to get to hospital and the security of children as examples. Referring to Soodeen's comment about traffic exercises being intelligence-led, Chote believed a distinction could be made between roadblocks conducted by the police and joint police-licensing officer traffic exercises.

She observed, "A man trying to avoid the police will not choose peak (traffic) hours to be on the road."

Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath was concerned about regular traffic congestion when the academic year opens, when parents drop their children to school in the morning and pick them up in the evening. Soodeen said one solution to this was locating areas close to schools which parents could use as temporary parking areas so main roads in front of schools are not congested.

Police Strategic Road Safety Project co-ordinator Brent Batson said police officers get invaluable help from traffic wardens to keep traffic flowing near schools and in other places.

In expressing concern about traffic congestion caused by high retail activity in certain areas, Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein said this problem could be addressed by moving police officers and traffic wardens to places where they are most needed at any point in time. "This is not rocket science."

Chief Traffic Warden Neville Sankar told committee members there are insufficient traffic wardens to adequately deploy them to all locations in Trinidad. He said the total number of traffic wardens has dropped from 531 to 232 in recent times. While traffic wardens do what they can to relieve traffic wherever they are assigned, Sankar said an additional 325 traffic wardens would facilitate the more effective deployment of resources in Trinidad. He said an additional 36 and 42 traffic wardens are needed to improve traffic flows in Chaguanas and San Fernando respectively.

Opposition Senator Foster Cummings observed Sankar made no reference about traffic wardens for Tobago and asked about this.

Sankar said there are no traffic wardens there. Cummings, who is also PNM general secretary, prefaced his question by saying it was not intended to be political with respect to the UNC members of the committee. The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections take place on January 12.

The UNC is not contesting the election and does not have a political coalition with the Tobago People's Party (TPP) which is the incumbent party in the election. The TPPs two MPs, David Thomas and Joel Sampson, sit next to UNC backbenchers in the House of Representatives.

Cummings and Minister in the Ministry of Housing Phillip Edward Alexander expressed concern about derelict police vehicles outside of police stations contributing to traffic congestion.

Chote observed that while different stakeholders appear to be doing good work individually in managing traffic, she did not get a sense there was any real coordination between them, based on the answers they were giving the JSC.

Planning Minister Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh said, "We know the issues and we need some practical solutions."

Civil Aviation and Transport Ministry chief engineer Adande Piggott said without an efficient public transport system, any initiatives to ease traffic congestion (such as carpooling or parking meters) will not work.

He added a project started in July by the ministry to put traffic cameras on Wrightson Road in Port of Spain has not been completed because the contractor was experiencing foreign exchange problems. Piggott said the ministry is currently seeking other solutions to deal with this matter.

In response to questions from Chote, acting director of highways Patrice Caprieta said the last major public transportation study in TT was done in 1967. Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry permanent secretary Nicolette Duke said the ministry did a park-and-ride survey with members of the public recently.

"The ministry is in analysis mode." Duke assured the committee this will not be a case of analysis paralysis.