Minister agrees to tackle traffic troubles
Traffic jam in Grand Cayman
(CNS): Government has agreed to examine setting emissions and other standards for vehicles imported into the Cayman Islands and address other issues fuelling congestion on local roads. Responding last week to a motion on the weight of traffic and the importation of vehicles, a merger of two private members’ motions, Joey Hew, the minister responsible for roads and vehicle licensing, offered his backing. He said his ministry was working on various initiatives to tackle the islands’ growing transport woes and the commerce department was already discussing a crackdown with customs on unlicensed dealers importing vehicles.
Austin Harris, the government backbench MLA for Prospect, presented a motion calling for the establishment of suitable standards for vehicles being imported and to implement relevant policies before the end of the year. The motion was similar to one brought by the independent member for East End, Arden McLean, who withdrew it after Harris agreed to incorporate the spirit of it in his own motion.
Vehicle imports have increased by around 60% in the Cayman Islands over the last four years, Harris said, as he outlined the traffic problems that the driving public is all too aware of.
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He said the increasing investment of public cash in building and repairing roads was no longer sustainable. Based on statistics revealed by officials in Finance Committee, Harris said he believed there were around 80,000 vehicles in Cayman, meaning there are more cars that people, given the population is currently estimated to be around 63,000.
The MLA called on government to introduce standards regarding the age, emission levels and types of vehicles through the establishment of a committee, which could also examine other traffic congestion solutions.
Hew responded that work was already ongoing to help tackle traffic issues, as he spoke about adopting mass transportation policies, which were also announced by the premier in his strategic policy statement. But Hew also spoke about hop on, hop off buses along Seven Mile Beach, park and ride systems, and adapting George Town to be more pedestrian friendly.
He said government was planning a clampdown on the importation of vehicles by people who were selling them on the roadside, as he said government should be supporting the licensed used car retailers who are hurt by people importing cars directly from Japan.
Government was also working on incentives for people to use more electric vehicles and was on target to replace some of its fleet with EVs, he noted.
“We cannot continue to stick our heads in the sand and not recognise that we will at some point run out of road,” Hew stated, as he offered the government’s support to the motion, even though he said it was only a part of the solution.
In his SPS delivered on Friday, Premier Alden McLaughlin revealed plans for a transportation study, saying that a “radical new approach to public transport” was needed.
Category: Local News
George Town needs a real bus terminal, not a new cruise port terminal and real public buses, not some cobbled together left over parking lot and wannabe Mad Max minibus drivers. I recon for $300M we can have one of the best public transport systems in the Caribbean. Institute a card system, where prepaid cards can be purchased at all grocery stores, gas stations and other popular locations. All bus drivers must pass a yearly written and practical exam and ban for good any drivers that are found to be negligent in their duties, break road rules and disregard safety of their passengers.
Seniors over 65 and disabled ride or free and students at half rate. MLAs pay double rate. All others pay regular rate, no exceptions, no friends & family club, and no VIP cards. Make it a requirement during the first 5 years to phase in electric buses and cover the whole roof of the new bus terminal in solar panels.
Don’t build any new roads for cars, just build dedicated bus roads, for instance starting right up the middle of the East-West Arterial Bypass
As long as this system is not based on the CAL operational model it should pay itself back in 15 years or less.
Such a sensible comment would fall on deaf ears. In Bermuda, monthly and daily passes are sold right a the bus depot. Visitors usually buy daily passes.
Public bust driver, as well as a public bus mechanic certifications must be done overseas.
We could learn so much by just trying to adapt the Bermuda bus system. But we are a brilliant people, with a unique culture, so we will do it our own slow and backward way.
I can hear the squeals from the taxi drivers and bus owners already! They’d be running to their MLA (see relative) in a blur if there was EVER a hint of this excellent idea coming to fruition. Who would the taxi drivers rip off then? I NEVER advise tourists to take a taxi.
Cayman must tackle the stream of immigrants coming into our islands. Problem solved!
In Canada when I attended university the Member of Parliment used the same bus line as me to get to there office. I would like to see a Cayman MLA use the bus to get to work. Oh wait that would never happen, going to work shoulder to shoulder with the unwashed and sad excuse for a public transportation system.
As long as the importation of cars is a big Government Revenue all the comments above
is a waste!
Of the comments and solutions posted, has any given consideration that part of the problem may be the appalling driving standards?
Great idea, stop the [ublic importing cars and must use car dealership. Wow, oh wait, who owns those…lol
Free public transportation.
Flex work.
Work from home.
Schoolbus for private schools.
Most of these comments miss identifying the causes of the traffic problem.
PEOPLE HERE
PEOPLE THERE
PEOPLE EVERYWHERE
Decades of no planning has resulted in the continued lower class population explosion working for slave wages to service the few rich developers, displacing Caymanians in every which way.
Imported cheap slave labour has depressed the earnings of Caymanians.
Will the PPM and UDP government ever do something about the real problems they have caused?
4:37 I do not know about you but my Grandparents did not search around for expensive labour.
I wonder who’s paying these slave level wages you speak of?
The Government like the income they are making off motor imports.Have anyone ever take a look over by the Port Authority holding area over in Industrial Park/Port road? Every day the parking space for imported vehicles is always full…Millions of dollars are going into Government coffers every year from these vehicles….Why not use some of that same money to build the highway coming from the east….even if its a toll road..its more than needed…West Bay got dual carriage way from GT…no traffic problems….give the East the same…traffic would be ok then……..I say to all the powers that be…..BUILD THE HIGHWAY TO THE EAST……Its a nightmare to get to GT in the mornings…& nightmares to get to the East in the evenings….
Why should we pay a toll to get home. What kind of foolishness is that?
7:51 I don’t think you have traveled far from the Cayman Islands.
Wrong. I only moved here 13 years ago from Europe. I think you spend too much time in USA.
We should pay a toll on all major roads UNLESS we have two or more people per vehicle. That works well in other places. Have you noticed during the traffic jams/morning commute that nearly all cars have but one occupant?
We can’t make it such that there are less people, so the only meaningful solution is to cause less cars on the road.
TOLL ROAD ahead $1.00 single occupant. Car pool left lane only. Fine for misusing the car pool lane $500.00.
Toll roads work as a means for redirecting traffic in normal countries
However in Cayman people who cant afford to pay a toll to use side roads would just push the congestion into the side roads
Not to mention any government who introduced tolls would be promptly voted out in the next election and the new government would repeal them
its not a viable solution
4:45 change will come.
In “normal” countries, toll roads also serve to force carpooling, or to create revenue because (a) either people carpool or have to wait in terribly long queues or (b) they go for it and hope they don’t get caught; they usually get caught and have to pay a hefty fine, at which point they join group a.
Carpools cut down on the existing vehicles on the roads. Those that don’t want to carpool can add another hour+ to their commute each way. It’s a powerful motivator.
There are also system in “normal” countries where people drive for a distance, park in inexpensive centres, and bike the rest of the way. This bears looking into as it applies to Grand Cayman.
what is a NORMAL country.
8.23am… no matter what bright ideas some of us come up with – we are still only islands. It baffles me to understand where we are going with all this crap. Immigration needs to do their job. Far too many people here. Band the people not the cars. Come on guys I know you all are not that stupid that you do not what the real problem is.
8:23 do you know how West Bay got dual carriage way or you rather not say.
The highway will NOT improve the traffic. It will make it worst at grand harbour and kings roundabout.
How about fixing the current ridiculous situation where ALThompson’s parking lot connects right at the entrance to a major roundabout? Why not have everyone enter and exit the site using the road between ALT’s and the Humane Society? Traffic flow at that roundabout would be much improved.
The problem isn’t ALT, it’s the west-east tradesman rush-hour and unique right-of-way system based on vehicle size and forward momentum. It backs-up from dysfunction junction at Dump Rd. in industrial park, with a thick line of vehicles trying to get to there from Eastern Ave.
11:28 the road you are talking about is a close rd. you will still end up on that roundabout!
“Halfway into term, Minister agrees to actually start covering his remit”
When this headline falls off the front page, Joey will not recall ever agreeing to this.
All will be forgotten and back to business of slacking as usual.
Very reactive once more, shouldn’t someone somewhere have been monitoring and limiting the number of cars, trucks and busses etc these spin doctors have been bringing in for years not to sell at a profit. It’s too stupid to believe, they raffle cars at public beach monthly, ask any Filipino, jeesas your so slow to fix anything it seems
free solutions:
walk more
bike more
bring in uber(now!)
car pool and introduce car-pool lanes
0% duty on electric vehicles
tax big vehicles more
increase tax on people with more than 1 car
walk and bike more don’t work when you live anywhere except town and seven mile, as most traffic issues are in the eastern districts you won’t see many people walking to work from bodden town or further.
you miss the point….people won’t use buses because it means i have to walk 5 mins to the bus stop….
laziness and the fear of walking is an epedimic in cayman
You missed the point… which decent person going to ride these “bus”. Sorry, some – not all are shameful and dangerous drivers. Check who the drivers are…. and who they going to be.
the bus is full of decent people.
You miss the point. We barely have any buses. Catching buses to and from the East is pure lottery, and virtually impossible after dark.
Not to mention unsafe after dark.
Ican walk 3 hours if there isnt torrential downpour or if its not 95 degrees outside and where there is a safe sidewalk where i wont get hit by a car!!
I’d have to walk a mile to get to the bus stop, in whatever heat or rain that comes down. Then try and flag down a minibus from the East with spaces on it – wait, no bus has a space by the time they get to Grand Harbour. So I would have to try and bum a ride, or go back home and drive to work. The current bus idea is unworkable for a mass transit solution.
Minibuses will need to run to a schedule, whether full or not. That means the drivers/owners will need to be paid enough, whether the bus is full or not. Which means government will need to fund it. But then we get inefficiency, corruption, and we are back to square 1.
It’s a starting place, mate. Besides, I think the bus services of the future aren’t private, because there lies corruption, irregularity and graft. Nope. It needs to be a government controlled and funded service. Staffed by Caymanians.
they also might not want to take the bus b/c it’s not reliable… you never know when it’s coming or how many random stops they’re going to make along the route.
Modern pedal assist electric bikes have a range of 40+ miles. You can reach speeds of 15mph and cruise past all the stopped traffic!
And get hit by a car driven by a disqualified terrible driver!
We need bike lanes to make this safe.
Perhaps not, but maybe you and me can think outside the box a little. I share your misgivings. So, I said to myself, “self……. what if I drove from X to Y and parked, unloaded my bike from my rig and biked the rest of the way to work?
Welll………. guess what?? it works! As an extra added bonus, it’s a whole lot less stressful than the usual stop-and-go to and from work. I am a bike warrior, hoping like hell some moonbat doesn’t kill me with an open door or quick lane change. Meanwhile, the more of us that do this, the less impact on the city centre.
Hell, we may form a bike gang. Tricycles also welcome. I have a friend who owns a tandem trike and is afraid to ride it. We need to provide for bike and trike traffic. This is part of the solution for the future on all three islands.
So true and we need dedicated bike lanes.
And what is the benefit of taxing more for a second car? You can only drive 1 at a time.
Get killed while biking
Uber is just a rip-off normal cab with an app for cash-less payment and ride tracking. Duty on EVs is already just 10%, but nobody can service them.
Caymanian car ownership import duty – per family;
1st import – 20%
2nd import – 50%
3rd import – 60%
Non Caymanian – Limit one per family – 30% import duty
caymankind discrimination
In that case would a non-caymanian just buy a car locally..doesn’t really impact the number of cars on the road, plus the import duties will have more of an impact on the caymanians already in lower income brackets…a scheme like this can’t be implemented in the absence of proper public transport options.
Build the North Sound tunnel Joey!
with the monorail inside!
Now that’s an even better idea!
Now that’s a great idea!
People import their own vehicles from Japan, because they don’t like being bent over by the local dealers, who add a mark up of several thousand dollars, for things such as a full tank of gas, detailing and an oil change. All this is before the finance offers that lure in suckers.
Were you aware that cars built in Japan have far less steel in them. Apart from that we really should buy locally wherever we can if the dealers are reasonable on their markups. We also need ban left hand drive cars. They are a menace.
Larger buses would be a great idea. But we need proper bus stops also and better services to certain off the beat places. That of course means punctuality.
As to the roads we now have four different types of pedestrian crossing. No lights and no signs, just signs, signs with lights and the West Road crossings.May I suggest we are consistent.
There are many good suggestions on this article ignoring the usual political drivel. Why not form a few committees to assist the police traffic and the NRA. People can volunteer their services.
Just a few thoughts
And can we stop putting crossings within 5 feet of a traffic junction. And the 3 crossings by Cassanova, can someone explain the need for all 3?
4.43pm It’s to facilitate all the Carnival walkers who cannot afford a $1.50 bus fare to the beach, the same people who the Tourism Dept claim spend more than $100 each whilst ashore.
How exactly are left hand drive vehicles a menace?
Because they’re not designed for driving on the left of the road. Errrr, it’s not rocket science.
I’d hardly say they’re a menace though, as I’ve had a couple and never crashed or caused a crash.
It’d be more an issue on a larger island with more places to overtake.
Because many drivers of left hand drive cars have no clue where the centre of the road is and frequently drive to the far left. Have a look driving down the road particularly when they want to turn left.
What does the amount of steel have to do with anything???
Try safety! Perhaps you prefer plastic.
I’ve had over 20 years without crashing or being crashed into, as I drive defensively. I’ll take a modern Japanese car, over a Ford Imploder from 2004 any day.
Yes, it may happen, but driving big ass SUVs only helps jack up the arms race that leads to garbage like Hummers being a thing.
Find out when you get into a wreck..
3:54 I don’t think you would know that left hand drive cars is for countries that drive on the right.
If you buy cars locally they will still be from Japan!
Having been to Japan and over eighties countries I am pretty much aware of driving conditions in most. I am also aware that after a certain number of years on the road in Japan a car must be taken off the road. Hence many are exported to the Caribbean. In fact there is a Jaguar in Cayman that was originally exported from the uk to Japan.
What I do know is that there is more steel in a Honda built in the US than one built in Japan.
A lot of the local cars for sale locally are actually for 3rd world markets. The cheaper Ford and Hyundai models are for central and south America, or markets such as Malaysia. Try buying a Ford Figo or Hyundai Creta in the USA. So, go ahead and buy from dealers here, or just do your due diligence and save a packet buying from Japan.
all cars over 2 litre should have extra tax and duties when brought in.
And that would help traffic how?
first steps should be de-regulate taxi cartel and bring in ride share schemes like uber and lyft.
but don’t hold your breath.
This story has an advert for a vehicle embedded into it LOLZ
lets start by putting an age limit on cars being allowed on the road, any car over 17 years for example, introduce it now and give people a two year warning that its going to happen.
My car is 20 years old. Looks and works like new as very well maintained. What we need are much tighter roadworthiness and emissions tests for licensing.
My wife is 20 years old but let me tell you, I’m getting ready to trade that in for a newer model.
Well said. My Morgan is now 36 years of age. No turbo nothing fancy but it sure works with no fuss.
Rather than limit a vehicle by age please consider implementing emission testing as part of the annual inspection. Also actually measure the brake lining and tyre tread depth.
Newton Law says for every action there is a reaction..
take all those cats off the road and then what. park them at the landfill?
on top of dead iguanas to build a monument to widespread stupidity
Our dead iguanas and derelict vehicles are the best in the region.
As long as it is roadworthy – why would you want to do that? There are still a few classics around.
What a terrible idea. A car can be in good, clean working order and still be old.
Pretty much what they are doing to the older Caymanians who built Cayman to where it is. $700 a month is a disgrace whilst a bartender earns and average of $3-4K per month. Why did they made the sacrifices for?
Then take up bar tending
A nation prospers when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit under.
So is this about protecting local car dealerships or alleviating the traffic issues?? I’m confused.
So we have the taxi cartels and now we are getting the local car dealership cartels..
Add the promised bike lanes, add the necessary second driving lane on East-West Arterial, and start enforcing a minimum emissions standard with the existing fine under §138.
Traffic Law (2011)
Part 6, §57 (1) already speaks to the regulations that can be made to (a) prescribe standards of condition for vehicles, “(b) restrict emission of smoke, fumes, or vapours and (c) noise”.
Part 7 – “Control of Road Users”, Ticket offences, §93 “A person who does any of the following commits an offence and is punishable under section 138 – (f) uses a vehicle with its engine in such a condition that it gives out excessive or obnoxious smoke, fumes, noise or odour.”
§138 = Fine of KYD$2,500 or imprisonment for six months, or to both.
I got knocked back by DVDL because my diesel SUV blew to much smoke.
I asked how much smoke should it blow.
he said not that much.
Unless DVDL buy a proper machine then it is a waste of time.
I went back the next day. different inspector and passed.
LOL, the taxis gonna be the first vehicles that fail emissions tests!!
It’s probably like so many of the Laws here:passed in the House, but never actually implemented into law, therefore unenforceable……
Look around you in morning and evening traffic, you are lucky to spot a vehicle with two or more occupants. Seems most people here want to have their own car or truck. Car pooling is a good way to cut down on congestion.
Build the airport connector road through industrial park, a lot of traffic are arriving tourists and taxis, mostly wanting to get to SMB.
Somehow widen the road near Parker’s, that section of road causes a lot of traffic problems.
Enforce safe driving laws! I have often considered using a scooter/motor cycle or bicycle for my daily commute, but don’t want to risk my life exposed to such poor driving manners.
Lion’s Centre and Hurley’s roundabout is another choke point. This needs a revised layout, or some form of traffic control.
I think car pooling comes back to public transport Cayman can be a bit hot to walk around in lunch time so when people need to run errands at lunch time or get lunch they need a car as they don’t have a public transport option.
That’s why I use Zun
Which is great but only if you work in Camana Bay.
So nobody else could follow the lead? A car dealership in town?
Causes problems because that stupid parking lot right in front of the building. Nothing wrong with the road itself. Parkers should be relocated, or allow an entrance in the back of the store.
Lots of space to park behind Parker’s! Maybe he would be so kind and understanding if someone important enough asked him to please stop allowing his customers to park right up to his front door.
You mention Parker’s so take this example. You are driving from ALT’s / Butterfield roundabout towards Parker’s and get to the Dump road mini-roundabout. A car is waiting to get out of Dump road and turn right & you stop, suddenly about a dozen cars behind you are now are all stopped. Also those coming from Parker to ALT’s have to stop so a dozen cars there all stopped. Why? Because the idiot coming from ALT’s stopped when they SHOULD NOT HAVE! If you are coming from ALT’s you do not stop at all for someone coming out of Dump road, you only give way to someone on your right. If muppets stopped doing this traffic would go at least a little better around there. Also stop the parking at Parker’s it doesn’t need a bigger road.
2.46pm Too right, this happens every single time I approach that roundabout, no wonder we have so many accidents
Great example. I’ve seen it happen over and over.
You’re right. People are too busy being what they think is considerate and “nice” when what they should be doing is following the traffic rules – i.e. Give way to the right – and don’t ever stop on a roundabout. Being nice causes hold ups and accidents.
Also it could be time to put those yellow grids at some lights/roundabouts; don’t drive into that area unless your way is clear to drive out the other side of it.
One of the serious problems at roundabouts going from and to the airport is that Americans and Canadians tourists have zero understanding of roundabouts and are also driving on the opposite side of the road. I am considerate and nice at those roundabouts because I know so many of the American and Canadian tourists don’t know how to drive on our British type roads which are opposite from America and Canada.p
Roundabouts are becoming increasingly more popular in Canada but I do agree that as a Canadian driving here for more than 20 years I know there are too many North Americans who can just rent a car and have no idea of how to drive on the left but are given the keys with zero education of Cayman driving rules and off they go. Wrong.
2:46 I bet if it was a front end loader coming out of the dump rd. you would stop.
why is Hurley’s roundabout a choke point its only when you reach there that you can
start moving.
merging traffic from south sound causes the back up at Hurleys.
No, the bizarre number of vehicles seemingly needing to go west at that hour is the problem. If they had another route, traffic from Crewe Rd and from South Sound could move into the roundabout freely, and, if people used the correct lanes, one lane of the roundabout each would be going east from each road, and traffic would be moving instead of bumper-bumper.
Actually, 12:58, the original notation of South Sound incoming flow causing the backup was accurate because it has the right of way. Far more than West bound traffic, which would not cause East bound traffic to stop nearly as much as that which is coming from SS. The bigger problem is the number of cars that cut across to SS at the Kings Sports roundabout in order to get 2-3 car lengths ahead by getting the right of way from SS approach at the Hurley’s roundabout. There is NO backup after the Hurley’s roundabout – so if you reduce/eliminate the SS cut in, the flow would even out a lot.
The traffic isn’t merging from South Sound. They have the right of way. It’s all the people using Old Crewe Road as a shortcut who they THINK they have the right of way that cause the traffic problems in the evenings. Don’t let them out or make Old Crewe Road for local traffic only.
There’s no single magic bullet for this problem, but we all know what the Government needs to do to make a real difference – make it more expensive to own a car, and provide a viable public transport alternative.
So far, all that seems to be happening is talk of the first, which will vanish as the election gets closer. This government doesn’t have the balls to take unpopular decisions.
And anyone thinking that a government which can’t even introduce taxi meters is going to do anything meaningful about public transport is living in dreamworld.
More expensive? You can’t be serious !!!
That means more people won’t pay for licensing and thus create more issues.
What a bullshit that there is more cars than the population! 40,000 cars are non exist as we had bad storms which many of them write off. People don’t realise that they should hand in the papers when car no longer work.
This true…more cars than drivers or “the population”. Disabled cars are still cars (they don’t turn to mulch or something else just because they are laying arounded disabled) and it doesn’t take these “super know-it-all mechanics” coming here on WP long to work on them to get them starting up and sold to some unsuspecting underpaid person as an “island car” for a few hundred dollars, just to have them breakdown or be in breach of the traffic laws (emitting fumes and black smoke, making loud noises, can’t make it pass 35 mph driving on the highways, breaking down along the road side). Anyways, the bottom line of the problem are there are too many cars on the road, too many people on this little island and too many selfish, self-serving minded ones owning cars!! Solutions?: 1) Implement a properly functioning Public Bus Service w/ qualified drivers and bigger buses. 2) Mark one day of the week that people MUST car pool—maybe an incentive can be offered for this somehow. 3) Disallow WP holders in certain fields &/or short terms from owing or importing a car before 5 yrs working and living on the Island. 4) Remove some of these “old/beat-up/unroadworthy cars from the roads. 5) Make the “well off” car owners here know, (who have to buy there gas guzzling, oversized and high price tagged vehicles), that they have ship them off Island with them once they’re leaving — bet they’d think twice about buying that latest model Audi or Benz…lol. 6) Offer young drivers (first-time car owners) 6 months – 1 yr free licensing if they buy a pre-approved second hand car on Island. 7) Put a quota on how many cars anyone dealer can bring in at a time. Let’s remember that we live in a Hurricane belt and at any time within a Season (6 months out of the year) we can have a storm that can cause catastrophic damage to life and property and we’d have the same problem occur like after Ivan. The rule of supply and demand rules this Island far too much, for everything…if you put a clamp on the demand then supply would slow down. It’s time CIG tackle this problem…parking lot wars, avoidable fender benders and road fatalities, wasted money on constant road building and repairs, an antiquated/get-rich/ hazardous public transport services which have become a normal, would become a thing of the past (I’m hoping and praying, waiting for the day without grindlock traffic jams eating up time driving on the roads).😁
Yep. Let’s stop WP holders having cars – coz they’ll be perfectly safe riding a bike or scooter- NOT
9:10 do you really think it is less cars now than before ivan ?
Govt should be supporting he local licensed used car dealers who are hurt when ppl import cars directly from japan? Have you even looked into the prices that they are asking for those cars? These guys are trying to get 2 and 3k profit per car, absolutely ridiculous prices considering that the process of ordering a car is just as easy and takes just about as much effort as ordering something from as online store. There is one local and licensed used car dealer that I know that even offers financing, thru a bank! Up to 3 years loan. Imagine that!
You order it yourself, fine. You set up a company, w/ T&B Licence, store front, etc. to order in and resell cars, fine. You order in a car to resell (no T&B) and park it on the side of the road with a 4 Sale sign, not fine.
Disagree?
A local guy offered to lease me an old car for $2000 down and $450 a month for 2 years when I first got here years ago. Glad I didn’t take it considering I would have paid 20x what that car was worth and never owned it. What a crock and he is still in business.
The problem is not too many cars its too many people. Pretty soon there will be no where to live because the Island will be paved over with roads. Lets get off this merry go round!
9.05am thank you – I have been trying to bring this situation to our representivies for decades. We now have a major problem. TOO MANY PEOPLE. Thank you at least me and you can clearly see the problem. Now Government what you going to do about it???
LOL. Too late. The horse is out of the barn.
Keep pushing for 100,000 population, to justify a new port & tower.
10:28 who wants to be the first to leave!
I agree. have you tried to drive near the port on a weekday. Swarming with people.
Port on a weekday? Cruise ship tourists not locals
Just wait until we get a couple of 50 storey buildings. 10 storeys are high enough for Grand Cayman.
50 story tower at just 4 units a floor equals 200 apartments.
That means plus or minus 450 cars for that building alone.
That will create its own traffic jam every morning and evening as occupants go to and from work.
The existing 30′ wide roads serving that block can’t absorb that added concentration of traffic onslaught.
Result , added chaos exacerbating already existing traffic problem.
Planning should impose a requirement that the developer should include and pay for a road and infrastructure system to cope with the inevitable traffic consequences.
It doesnt seem like many people know that pretty much every type of development incurs a planning fee, a building permit fee, infrastructure fund fees and low cost housing fund fees. These last two fees are coming on 20 years old now. Its time to start asking the govt what theyve been doing with the revenue from these fees!!
Do the Darts pay any fees for anything ?
7:27 if other people of the world had think the way you all are thinking what would it have look like.
The traffic study will take a year and tell them the same thing we are all saying now – reduce the number of vehicles, then they will take another 9 months to “review and discuss” the recommendations, then before you know it the 2021 Election is upon us and Joey will be in “Save His Own Ass Mode” and nothing will be done about traffic AGAIN
8.51am sorry – it’s not the cars – it’s the people that our fine immigration continue to let in!!!! It’s got to Stop!
8:51 they did so many traffic studies already, It is just a game they play.
“Has agreed”? How about “was forced” by the members of public.
Prohibition never works. Start with public bus system, providing residents with reliable mode of getting to and from work, then start looking into restrictions. You can’t take something and give nothing in return. Build overpasses in the major bottlenecks. You don’t have many.
Everything else is just BS.
I am all in favour of tackling traffic, but the initiatives suggested seem to have an ulterior motive of either charging me more for a personal import, or forcing me to buy from a dealer. Public transport works in some scenarios, but not all, the one suggestion I have is that when schools are on holiday the traffic improves significantly, I don’t know if that is the result of people being off island, or less cars on the road just for the school run, or both. I would favour the use of school buses for all school traffic, with specific stops out of the main routes and get rid of the rolling stop buses. Then see if that works and move on to the next initiative. Buses in general will be packed for a couple of hours and empty for most of the rest of the day leaving them uneconomical at best, maybe a targeted approach on using buses will work?
I think a study on the school buses should be done, I’m sure they could be run more efficiently to reduce traffic.
10:15 who will be the first to park their car for a bus ride.
If parents start to rely on them for getting their kids safely to and from schools and university, I think you’d find they would be used. The timetables can be modified throughout the day and of course, and the routes too, during the day they could concentrate on the school areas. A good bus service, using good comfortable buses with a/c and trained drivers will work. You just have to look to other places like Bermuda and other small islands.
1. The population is not 63,000. It is likely much higher. The ESO does not seem to count thousands of people on TWP’s or with pending PR applications, or their dependents, or many so called tourist visitors who in fact live here or the large numbers of overstayers and ghost Caymanians. Until those are all included the official numbers are artificially low.
2. Selling cars (as a side business) without being licensed is a breach of the Trade and Business Licensing Law, not the customs law. The DCI should be enforcing that aspect, not customs.
Working on various initiatives? Stop talking, start doing.
There is only one thing that would have an immediate and significant effect and it is a public transportation system. Hire Canadians or whoever is an expert in the field to help to set up the system, purchase full size busses, send qualified drivers oversea to get certified, start working on bus maintenance and repair shop, again train and certify qualified mechanics. Do all the training NOW.
Thousands of residents would use a bus to get to and from work. Thousands of visitors would use it. But it has to be a fully functioning system.
My guess that taxi and mini bus mafia would sabotage this with a silent support from the mafia leaders. I doubt any of the current taxi and mini bus drivers would be able to get oversea certification due to age and inability to follow instructions, rules and regulations. Cayman youth, on the other hand, could be the one who would make public bus system a reality.
Because Cayman is one of the emissions hubs of the globe. Those are Basically, China, India, USA, Africa, Europe and Cayman
trade winds dissipate it effectively. That doesn’t apply to the Dump’s gasses; people living within the 3 miles radius from the Dump are living in the “gas chamber”, so to speak. Nazi gas chambers were killing fast, in this case, it kills people slow, they are not even aware of being killed. When cancer, neurological disorders and congenital abnormalities strike, hardly anyone think about The Dump as the cause.
Austin Harris and Joey Hew are both uneducated and unqualified for the positions they hold today as MLA’s. Would you hire any of them in your business or have them in a management position? The standards for leadership in Cayman is very low.
Joey should ask his brother how that electric vehicle thing is working out.
Joey should ask Ritchie Hew to run in his place instead. He’s another elected dunce!
Austin can’t count that high.
He’s counting that fat check every month for doing nothing. I wasted my vote never again.
Austin Harris is the biggest let down given his years of raging against politicians like Alden McLaughlin Moses Kirkconnell and Joey Hew. He sold out and just needs to come out. Better enjoy his position as a one term wonder.
so little promise, fulfilled. Laughing all the way to the bank
“Government has agreed to examine setting *emissions* and other standards”
Finally!! The number of PoS vehicles on the roads that leave a cancer causing cloud of black smoke behind them these days is disgusting! I can’t believe any of them have passed an inspection?? They all need to be taken off the road and repaired or scrapped immediately!
and what about the amount of public buses that leave that black cloud of smoke?? If they can’t be regulated how on earth will they fix all the other PoS vehicles?!
Are you from the taxi/mini-buses cartel starting your resistance to the island-wide public bus transportation system (PBTS)?
PBTS would solve 75% of your roads congestion issue, not overnight though.
The problem is that everything that works everywhere else in the world would not work here. Intentionally.
As for the fumes, that is why you have to start training bus mechanics and technicians today! Send them oversea to get certified and gain experience. By the time they are ready to come back, hopefully your PBTS would be a reality.
First vehicles in should be these dump trucks. They spew tons of black smoke. More than 100 cars could.
Could these large dirty trucks not be kept off the road until after 9.00am – when most people have reached work?
Joey Who is a joke!
He’s so cute tho even if he has nothing sensible to offer on any topic
Set up a decent public bus service like most countries in the world have, that way people will have a viable alternative to using a car
Stop looking for excuses not to take the bus. I take the bus to West Bay Road every day. The buses run every three minutes to West Bay Road from George Town. The service is fine, but would like to see bigger buses.
Good for you that you live on/near a bus line. Do you realize how many other districts are on this island??? Good luck finding a regular bus on Walkers Rd.
South Sound as well. And before all you judgy people jump on that last statement, we are NOT all ‘rich’ because we live in South Sound.
Say it louder so the people in the back can hear. So irritated by the ghost bus stops in South Sound.
Try getting a bus after 8 pm to or from the Eastern districts. You’ll be waiting a long time. Sometimes an hour or more. Better still try get a bus home after a night in town. There aren’t any.
Its supply and demand – maybe it shouldn’t be
Much of this I support — bus lines with regular schedules, etc. However, the part about there being more cars than drivers — that’s kind of silly; even if there were double the cars as drivers, that wouldn’t mean more people driving.
Also, the reason that people like myself have imported cars for themselves from Japan is quite simple: The licensed car dealers import cars from Japan and then more than double the markup. For example, I bought my last car direct from Japan for $2000, plus shipping and duties put it at about $5000. Nice car. Before I ordered it, I looked around the island at dealerships. There was the same year, same model car (but with much higher mileage) for $9500 and another for $11,000. To force anyone to buy local at highly inflated prices would be criminal.
If the licensed used car dealers don’t want to be “hurt” by consumers importing their own cars, the dealers need to stop gouging us on costs. Simple as that.
But you forget the government is there to support the businessman who makes political contributions not the public, and especially not the non voting public. Fuel retailers, supermarkets, health insurers, pension providers – see a common theme?
What you did is fine. If you did it and then put the car on the side of the road to resell it – basically running a used car import & resale business without the T&B Licence, etc. – then its a problem. (But as someone else said, not a Customs/Roads/Car problem.)
It does when you factor in tourist, who wouldn’t be counted in the population but still are driving rental cars on the roads.
Personally I don’t see how they are going to address the issue by clamping down on the ones importing cars from Japan and selling them on the side of the road – that is such a small percentage of the problem. The need to also stop people from owning multiple vehicles (yes only one person can drive one car at a time but they just don’t need to have the extra vehicles on the island as that leads to disposal issues).
Proper public transport should have been address and developed years ago. As usual government “reacts” to every problem instead of being proactive and then throws Band-Aids at the gushing wounds of a problem.
?…what is the link between emissions and congestion?
Exactly 2 brainiacs pretending to be smart by sounding off talking rubbish
The link is some select MLA members will establish and own an ‘ emission’s testing facility ‘separate from the DVDL.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic behind a POS bellowing smoke from the exhaust?
Cancer
Yes, cancer particularly high in the area 3 to 4 miles around The Dump.