Parliament to debate car imports, tall buildings
(CNS): Two private members’ motions set to be presented in parliament next week will see MPs debate the issue of increasing the current building height limits to 20 or even 30 storeys, and restricting car imports to alleviate traffic congestion. Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart has filed a motion calling on the government to “consider as a matter of urgency” a traffic report published during the last PPM-led administration that recommended only Caymanains be allowed to import vehicles.
Meanwhile, McKeeva Bush, who is expected to take a seat on the government backbench after resigning as speaker, will be sparking significant controversy with his first PMM in several years when he asks the government to lift the current height restrictions on buildings in certain zones to allow for towers as high as 30 storeys. Bush said his motion is seconded by government backbench MP Dwayne Seymour, though he did not say if it has support of Premier and Minister for Sustainability Wayne Panton.
Speaking on Radio Cayman last week, he said he was proposing that government allow up to 30 floors, claimed that this made sense because it would reduce the development footprint and land area required.
“We are a developing country and we only have a limited space,” he said, noting that he wanted it to apply to hotels but it also presented an opportunity for high-rise homes. Bush, who was behind the decision to increase to ten floors, said he “took a beating for it but it was the right thing to do”.
However, he does appear to have the backing of Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, who has noted on a number of occasions the need for the community to begin discussing an increase in building heights. Most recently, at the National Housing and Development Trust’s groundbreaking event in West Bay, Saunders said that, given the current population growth, it was “imperative that we have a national conversation on housing, land preservation and building heights, both in the residential and commercial sectors”.
The population growth is largely to blame for the pressure in the local housing market, including the desperate shortage of affordable homes to buy or rent. But it is also fuelling the mounting traffic congestion, which has reached unprecedented levels.
Last week, following the country’s largest ever traffic jam during the Pirates Fest, the premier said that the government was planning to do something about the Cayman’s traffic woes and blamed the unrestricted importation of cars, suggesting that McTaggart’s motion could see some traction with the government.
The report that the motion is based on calls for only allowing Caymanians to import vehicles and to restrict this to two vehicles, that are no more than ten years old, per year. Anyone who wants to import more than two must have a trade and business licence or be registered as a collector. The report also suggested that temporary work permit holders should not be allowed to own a vehicle, and long-term permit holders must buy on-island or seek permission to import a vehicle they already own.
See the opposition motion and traffic report in the CNS Library.
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Category: development, Laws, Local News, Politics
TO INCREASE THE HIEGHT OF BULDINGS TO 20 STOREYS, YOU WILL NEED TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF PARKING LOTS! Because you are making room for more people – increasing the population! But right now with our serious traffic problems, I really don’t think its a good idea to waste money adding hieght to buildings.
Is the problem there are too many cars or is it too many people?
With all of these people coming to the island who benefits? It is certainly not Caymanians who were forced east because George Town is being overrun by wealthy expats. The decisions made by government favor the real estate industry solely. Disgusting to see what has happened to the island by greedy foreigners and a greedy real industry
And greedy Caymanians. Why is it so hard to accept blame for what Caymanians have done to themselves?
And greedy Caymanians selling their land to said greedy foreigners and greedy real estate industry? Don’t fool yourself that we’re not all part of the same hypocrisy.
We are all part of the problem.
I think you mean, wealthy foreigners, greedy developers and corrupt politicians, but point taken.
Are you deluded? Who’s making all the decisions? Caymanians. I know that truth hurts your xenophobic views but be realistic.
How were Caymanians forced east? Wealthy expats in GT? Lol. Don’t think so my friend.
because they can’t afford to live there any more, numbnut.
some useful posts on here, perhaps government should have a read.
I believe that once you restrict vehicles coming in as was said on here then you will drive the price of vehicles of any type through the roof if they weren’t already through the roof.
This combined with increasing fuel costs and we have a major problem on top of what is already a major problem in the cost of living for many.
We are all on the road it seems at the same time.
Impose user fees for peak periods via transponders on vehicles into certain areas.
Change our retail hours to 7 days a week any hour you want to be open.
Put in some form of public transport that works (although I don’t know if we have any space left)
1 vehicle per licensed driver except under certain exceptions
I can only drive 1 car at a time so cars are not the issue. reliable public transportation is the problem and always has been.
Just do us all a favour and ban Hondas.
stupidest comment ever
You’re right. We could just ban their importation and wait till they’ve all been crashed. Won’t take long.
To be fair it’s no more stupid than the minister’s idea to restrict who can import cars. Both would have the same effect on the number of cars on our roads. In any event pretty sure it was a joke. Like all these scrap Hondas.
Bless
☺️☺️ …Fits.
Public transport is such a painfully obvious solution. We have a BILLION DOLLAR budget and somehow can’t fund a few dozen real busses, running defined and scheduled routes from Rum Point to Breakers, to Bodden Town to GT and from GT to Westbay. GPS track every bus so everyone can see where they are and run them for free from 6am to midnight. In the big scheme of things it would cost peanuts, you’d take thousands of cars off the road every day, 90% of DUI’s, make life for those on low wages so much nicer and productive and generally improve the quality of life for everyone. But no let’s just blame foreigners, protect the taxi cartel and carry on as before.
Regarding 30-story buildings: IMHO the BIGGEST questions are
1) Is fire service equipped to deal with a fire or disaster in a building that tall?
2) What about training for rescue in such a building?
3) If taller buildings are approved will building codes include earthquake standards?
4) And finally; who the hell would these mega structures be for?
Come on CIG 10 stories is tall enough. PERIOD.
Building higher is definitely sensible. There is a shortage of housing and land, so obviously the solution is taller buildings which is also better for the environment.
To alleviate traffic they need a reliable public transport system. The buses and taxi services in cayman are third world at best. The taxis should also be a third of current prices and are outrageously highly priced by world standards.
All cars are imported in cayman. Nine are built here. Why should we be forced to buy from in island rip off car dealerships that charge ridiculously high prices?
Because they make contributions to MPs election campaigns and you don’t.
“Speaking on Radio Cayman last week, he said he was proposing that government allow up to 30 floors, claimed that this made sense because it would reduce the development footprint and land area required.”
LOL….are developers volunteering to reduce the footprint or ‘site coverage’? I love all this speculative reasoning but no mention of changing Planning Regulations to reduce footprints or increase setbacks proportionate to the proposed 20 or 30 storeys.
Forget about Miami, we are obviously headed to more of a New York skyline with dark corridors of dwarfed trees and overshadowed roads in between.
This is all laid out in the PACT Manifesto. All you have to do is ask the Premier or Deputy Premier to let you have a copy.
I have two cars but I have never driven both at the same time. So that is the end of that. One is 30 years old and in excellent condition. The other is almost 40 years old and in similar condition. Many residents have vintage cars. Limiting cars to ten years makes no sense.
The public transport system should have been fixed year ago, starting with bus stops.
Taxis and buses should be fined for parking on the sidewalk on North Church Street.
30 story buildings are not required. In the early 70s our wise politicians stated they did not want Cayman looking like Miami Beach.
AND just who are we developing this island for?
We are developing Cayman for wealthy expats, Mr Johnson, you should know that, some of whom came here a long time ago and some more recently. Nearly all of them live in the western part of the island, especially seven mile beach, vista Del Mar , yacht club, grand harbour. They know very little about what it is like to live east of Prospect.
Completely agree developing Cayman for the wealthy, but you’re speaking of a limited portion of the expat community. That certainly is not the case for all of us.
Always lived out East, rented for 17 years (could never afford to buy) so still broke but food, roof over my head, good friends in my neighbours and surrounding community.
Only things I dislike is the traffic, rollover, and a certain entitled portion of the expat community you speak of who quite frankly, don’t deserve the privilege to be here.
Very few residents have vintage cars, and in most cases older cars will be in poor condition with correlated increased environmental impact. There can clearly be drafted exemptions for “culturally significant” cars on the basis of them actually being vintage, rather than just crappy old beaters. While I appreciate you took affront, you are amongst a very limited minority of wealthy persons who can afford the eccentricities of older vehicles for reasons other than actual frugality.
Limiting the age of import cars to 10 years (or less) has great potential value to reduce the eventual volume of what ends up in our landfill.
Well, it will easy to see which MPs are in Dart and the developers pocket. Guessing Way e heading for some embark as he fixes at least 2 ministers in favour.
Should read ..Wayne heading for some embarrassment…
inhabitants of the NHDT site in West Bay’s Boatswain Bay better get ready to pack up. 2nd politician to socialize the idea whilst visiting the same site about a 30 floor bldg. 30 floor public housing building ain’t going up a stone 🪨 throw from what they building across the road.
A meeting was held with the Automobile Dealers and the then Minister about this very issue after Hurricane Ivan.
The following SIMPLE solutions were proposed and at that time, almost 18 years ago:
1) with the exception of licensed dealers ALL other Importers MUST apply & qualify for an Import License PRIOR to Importing each individual motor vehicle.
2) Restrict the age of used vehicles being Imported to under 10 years.
3) Only QUALIFIED individuals (Caymanians and Permanent Residents over 18) should be allowed to Import vehicles.
4) Only allow 1 Import License per QUALIFIED individual every 3-5 years.
5) Heavily fine those who fail to follow the regulations and DESTROY those vehicles imported without first obtaining an Import License.
Additionally, the following should be considered:
A) When applying for the Import License, the importer must pay the ‘Vehicle disposal fee’, non-refundable, whether or not the license is granted.
B) Rules for the importation of heavy equipment should also be reviewed to ensure that similar restrictions apply where applicable.
C) Finally, review the T&B of all New & Used Car Dealers and Car Rental / Leasing companies to ensure that they are in compliance with the existing Laws, Regulations and requirements of their T&B.
There are far to many ‘Bar-stool businesses’ operating in plain sight which is unfair and damaging legitimate Caymanian businesses who follow our Laws.
LOL so you’re not against cars being imported you just want a monopoly on who can do it. Why should I have to apply for a license and CIG pay to employ yet more people to process and enforce that just to import a car for my personal use? Why do you think you and your “legitimate Caymanian business ” friends have a right to interfere in my personal affairs?
Laughably transparent motivation. Has absolutely nothing to do with reducing the number of vehicles and everything to do with you making more money.
Welcome to Cayman where all games are rigged
Gosh I am so shocked that the auto dealers suggested they are the only ones that can import cars.
What kind of IDIOT would destroy a brand new car because it doesn’t have the right paperwork? Seriously.
Both my cars are over ten years old. One is 18 years old with 30k on the clock. Nothing wrong with either car. I do not buy newer cars because I prefer to put my money to better use so please shut up with the max age of ten years.
This post is an excellent example of why so many of us choose to import our own cars rather than buy from people like this.
Maybe if you didn’t try and charge such obscene markup on everything you sell, people would be less inclined to import things themselves. If I, as an individual with no buying power, experience or industry contacts, can source, ship and pay duty on a brand new car and have it on the road here US$15,000 cheaper than you “Automobile Dealers” will do it for, then it is simply your greed that is your problem.
Please explain how stopping non-Caymanians importing cars and forcing them to buy from you will reduce the number of cars on the road? It won’t. Everyone sees this for exactly what it is.
THIS HERE, applies to EVERY RETAILER on island… they have no clue.
Destroy vehicles? Wow. A whole new level of stupid!
Fedup Caymanian Business please copy and paste this under the article. Great type-up.
Now we have to wonder whose is interests have been vested for almost 20 years.😔🥺
No vehicles or licenses for temporary work permit holders.
At least it would be a step.
Let us grow some balls and take back our island and determine our own future.
Please do. It would be hilarious.
From who?
Idiotic idea. If they can afford a car or they need to travel for work then they will simply have to rent or borrow one off employer so will not remove any cars off road.
They want people to lease cars if he shirt term. But how does that reduce traffic? You can’t say caymanians can drive but expats have to walk! Ridiculous pointless policy suggestions that would have no impact on traffic.
I have to ask.
Subpar education system
Subpar waste management
Subpar public transportation system
Subpar immigration system
Subpar infrastructure planning and develop
What exactly do we do well!?
What have our politicians and public servants been doing for the last 40 years? Anyone with sense and foresight can see that our population will increase and we need to put measures in place to deal with that but I have absolutely no faith that CIG can plan or implement any reasonably sensible forward-thinking solutions.
The last 4 decades does not instill confidence in our politicians or the public sector in general for that matter. It really is the blind leading the blind round here evidenced by characters like mckeeva Dwayne Seymour and Kenny having ANYTHING to do with political leadership.
I can’t even fathom what the people will need to do to get the performance of our leadership to a respectable level because frankly we have the representation we deserve.
Legal and accounting… we have some of the best talent in the world here.
Yes, Saunders should get advice from real Accountants.
But not in government it seems.
Mostly expat efforts (those evil, repulsive folks who see opportunity with effort) as they knew we were not up to the task – not Cayman educated. A few Caymanians, but still educated oversees. Cayman education is decades behind respectable.
that is incredibly useful given the topic on hand….
a few other choice words which I cant use here were on the tips of my fingers
Who are “we”?
A hotch potch of various nationalities who seem to be of the opinion that God created the first Caymanian in Cayman.
You complain and offer no solutions. People who do this are never a success.we can solve this it is not just public transport that needs to improve. All employers need to give employees flex time and work remotely. School buses for all schools.Private school parennts think their children are too good to ride on a school buses.
Every school shoild not commence and end at the same timme. IE. Every school should not stop at 3pm. Why not somme at 4pmm? Start at 9am?
If everyone offered solutions and stop complaining we can fix the traffic issue. Let’s work together to solve this problem.
Oh man, how funny your post is. You have some issue with private school? Also, no one in their right mind would let their children get on a school bus driven by these d******* on this island. Did you not see the story of that one school bus that was driving the wrong way down the road?! You’re damn right us private school parents won’t let our kids on a public bus.
Intro do a public transportation system that is safe, comfortable and reliable. There – happy now? Problem is of course is not a lack of obvious solutions- it’s having politicians willing to implement them.
We excel at:
Electing corrupt Ministers.
Ignoring environmental laws.
Approving construction after it has already been done.
Accepting bribes for votes.
Selling our homeland for quick, short-term profits.
Accepting sub-par education for our youth.
Blaming everyone else for our own faults.
Denying certain citizens basic rights as we hide behind pews.
Believing nature will cure itself from the damage we do to it.
Accepting gov’t handouts for doing nothing.
Believing we are moral, ethical, educated; but our actions prove us wrong.
I’ll stop, as this is depressing how third-world we are, in spite of several business sectors that are world class because they were built here and managed by expats!!! WE DID NOT build this expertise.
Increased density is the answer to Cayman’s infrastructure problems.
However, the PUBLIC MUST benefit from the upzoning instead of those in the private secret backroom clubs.
We can’t increase density until we fix the road infrastructure its just making a decade-old problem even worse.
stopping the importation of cars will have the side effect of driving up the price of cars here…..
Thats what car dealers want. Bunch of carpet baggers.
Maybe Govt could publish its on ‘PACT Blue Book’ and enforce price caps on the differing makes & models and introduce fines for anyone taking more than the PACT recognised value ? – both commercial & private sales !!! 👍🚘🚘💸
How can they debate cars import without offering an alternative first, such as Public Transportation? Only in Cayman 🤦♀️
Can we start by getting bus stops.
Next it will be electric cars…. without thinking of the need for charging points across the island, and their maintenance and running costs. Such is the mentality of our politicians… for decades.
The government can start by reducing its own massive fleet of vehicles many of which are ‘perks’ for individuals to use as a personal vehicle.
Not to mention the gas bill on the public purse.
On the Brac every house has a government pickup!
Maybe that’s why they got paved by government.
More work from home, better public transport and safe bicycle lanes please. Make it so people do not ‘need’ a car.
More people would go mental working from home… humans are social beings.
Suicide lanes aka bike lanes?
Cayman doesn’t have public transportation. .
Bull crap. I have worked from home since the beginning of the pandemic, I am happier and more productive. While not suited to everyone, it is suitable for an awful lot of people. Yes, there are those that can’t seem to get by without social interaction so they can go to an office. There are statistics staring you in the face and many companies are offering work from home. I suspect you need the social interaction due to your inability to read and comprehend.
The post stated SAFE bicycle lanes and BETTER public transport.
I like the idea about the bike lane. They can put a curb on side of the bicycle path.
Paradoxical much? Build more high-rise tenements for more people and expect to restrict vehicle imports without an alternative – a public transport SYSTEM?!
But, typical Cayman Government knee-jerk reaction.
By the way, NO 12/15/20+ high rise condos or tenements!
About the vehicle import restrictions, the writing has been on the wall for years. Some twenty-plus years ago I presented a suggestion on a local talk show and followed up with written submission to relevant stakeholders – e.g. NRA/RCIPS/PTU. This was pre-Esterly Tibbetts GT/WB highway, the Pierson highway etc., there were only two roads in/out from East and WB corridor. Years before Japanese internet car dealing existed and the only dealers were Vampt/Cayman Economy, Kirk Motors, Nissan, Chrysler/Jeep/Honda, Volvo/Hyundai and Benz. Six dealers.
My suggestion was that the existing dealers be given quarterly quotas, in rotation, each year. Simple. Two dealers bring in what they have orders for plus your extras for 3 months, then wait their turn again.
Twenty plus years ago that approach may have had some benefit. At the time, the concept of buying sight unseen on the internet was unknown here, so when that gate opened the flood was on. But if a quota framework had been adopted, it could have been a foundation regulatory “shield” against the runaway internet market. We’ll never know.
But now it’s come to an infringement of rights, to an extent. Good that they’re proposing reasonable caveats but that’s just another revenue stream. “Pay us a fee to get a collectors licence, pay higher duty brackets for ‘collectibles’, pay to get a permit to import a specialty commercial vehicle, pay us more duty because it’s a commercial vehicle..etc, etc.”
Some businesses, and I don’t necessarily mean only the internet car dealers, will be seriously impacted. Complain about unroadworthy heavy trucks now? Wait until people can’t readily replace expensive heavy dumpers, for example?
CIG, kick a can down the road until it’s worn out then pick it up wrong at least the first three times when they do decide to bend down and pick it up!
Oh good, another way for locals to gouge expats, just what this island needs.
There’s less cars per capita here than MANY other nations in the Caribbean, and they do just fine.
The road network here is beyond a joke.
10 storeys was the right thing to do for who???? Nah for me!
30 storey buildings for who? Do we have the infrastructure in place? Can the dump has the capacity for more garbage? What about sewage? I find hard to understand how they wish to debate 30 floor buildings which means increasing the population and on the other hand they wish to limit importations of cars. How dumb can dumb be?
Pardon the pun but it seems the blind leading the blind once again….SMH.
“Pardon the pun but it seems the blind leading the blind once again….SMH”.
This is Cayman, this is the way.
Auditors need to investigate tall stories too
The auditor recently asked the public for suggestions? 😉
A 30 storey building adds how many more cars to the traffic congestion? Putting a 30 storey building at the Royal Palm site is 10x as high as to what was there. Can you imagine the impact to the beach and WBR? Think before engaging your mouths on this one.
9:00 Not to mention the strain on all local services and the school system too. These folks need to think things through…
A few things might usefully be kept in mind:
No matter how good or bad a driver, only 1 car can be driven by any person. Limiting the number of cars imported will have little, if any, effect on congestion.
Whether or not we go for 20, 30 or 50 storey buildings is largely irrelevant. The important issue is whether there is the infrastructure (road capacity, sewer capacity, school places) to support the hundreds of people who will be living in that building. At present our roads are inadequate for the buildings and people presently on island and there are insufficient schol places for expat children.
The fact is that these buildings, in Camana Bay, along West Bay Road or wherever, will not be lived in by Caymanians. Government will have to be willing to give PR, work permits or status far more efficiently than at present otherwise these buildings will be empty.
Introduce real driving tests. That’ll get at least half the drivers off the road.
We would have to enforce that law, which based on experience is not likely.
Look at the traffic reports and see how many unlicensed drivers there are. Making the test harder a) doesn’t affect those that don’t even do it b) has no impact on recognizing licences from countries with lousy tests or corruption in obtaining ilicences.
Interesting to see how the tall buildings go. When Mac was in power he made various deals with uncle Dart to get taller buildings permitted. Mac even got to own coral beach bar in return.
Wait for first cat 5 hurricane. How about a fire? Any hook n ladder trucks in Cayman?
Bit late for a debate on car i ports, everyone has their 3 cars each now,
I wonder if the MLAs with multiple cars/trucks/jeeps will reduce their holdings to help free up the traffic. Remember when trying to fix traffic that luxury cars, trucks and jeeps take up less space than a civic.
People owning multiple vehicles is irrelevant to the traffic issue, because a person can only drive one vehicle at a time.
The issue is about poor planning and the massive unchecked importation of vehicles by persons who SHOULD NOT qualify to do so.
There MUST be proper regulation, so that we can ensure that our road infrastructure is able to cope with the volume of traffic during peak usage.
2 @ 7:29pm – MLAs (MPs) or not. Many indviduals own multiple vehicles.
Guess what? We can only drive one at a time.
Hey Parliament, no tall buildings yah hear! Vote out these clowns 🤡 Saunders and Mac in 2024. Mac sold us out years ago and looks like Saunders wanting a piece of the pie to get locked up with him too. Neither are for us the people.
Is this what Mac meant by retiring from politics, to (allegedly) go into “consulting”?
It is very shortsighted to believe that restricting car imports is the best or only way to alleviate traffic congestion. There are a number of options that should be considered so I don’t know what the focus is just on restricting car imports.
So naive. Because the car dealer cartel love it, and simple minded voters like the idea of stopping pesky foreigners owning vehicles – cause the traffic congestion is all their fault. Proper solutions, like installing a real public transportation system, or enforcing vehicle road worthiness inspections and unlicensed vehicle seizure, require work by the politicians and risk offending the taxi and bus lobby and part of of the voting demographic. So much easier to just pass some ineffectual legislation.
I’m Caymanian and can afford a new car, but all is see with limiting the importing of cars to only Caymanians, or newer cars is once again, disparaging the poor.
Offer some reliable public transport and stop the Taxi cartel from fleecing EVERYONE! Your lack of action in these areas contribute greatly to the downfall of our beautiful islands.
There are more Caymanians suffering from the traffic then there are taxi drivers…figure it out and do what’s best for the greater good FFS!
So let me get this right, I won’t be allowed to import a car but I can walk into GT Automotive, Vampt or Arch and buy one… which they just impported? How the F does that make any sense at all? No guesses who’s pushing for this. The solution to our traffic problems is EASY! Regular, reliable, 20hr a day, public transport not a bunch of crappy 3rd world vans being driven by people who couldn’t pass a driving test if their life depended on it. Honestly school children could fix this!
proper bus system is needed first and no to 20- 30 story building. We be watching as voters !
37% duty on scooters or motorcycles (non-electric) over 90cc, – 32% more than a brand new base price Tesla that still clogs up the road.
The car is to be older than 10? I can bring in 2 a year? What’s to stop me letting my expat staff use them & deducting ‘expense’ from their pay. I’m a Caymanian business owner.
Cayman is but a tiny island sitting atop the mouth of an already erupted but ‘inactive’ underwater volcano. If we begin building 30 story buildings, we are doomed. Has anyone thought about the impact that the weight of such buildings could have on Cayman’s infrastructure? What about if we have another massive earthquake? Can you imagine the sinkholes and the potential danger of such a mis-step. Why do NONE of our politicians have political science, economics, environmental science etc. degrees that would make them QUALIFIED to make such decisions regarding our environment and country, especially ones that can and WILL have a very adverse effect on our environment and infrastructure!!! Also.. I believe it is notable to mention, WHO are we building these buildings for? Who is this growth for when the average Caymanian (young and old alike) are not able to afford housing in the current market? Why are we talking about 30 story buildings for more HOTELS? It is so disgusting and disheartening to witness such suggestions being put forward, and not even for the betterment of your people but for more money to line their greedy little pockets..
No tall buildings! Stop the building! Stop the cement! Stop the congestion! Stop the destruction of the beautiful Cayman Islands!
As much as I agree with this, tall buildings will come sooner or later. Stopping all further development would be economic suicide. We’ve become so successful that it’ll be our downfall… I miss the good ole days for sure 🙁
Me too. 😪 Cayman almost lost all its character now. Unrecognisable and certainly no longer the island paradise it was not so very long ago.
Let’s Finnish what’s been started let’s find out when all the slowed down developments will be completed as there are so many projects right now that are not moving
When permission is granted to develop it should be based on the ability to finance it and completed in a timely manor with out the people of Cayman living amongst a construction site 24/7 365
Also it’s time for all these developments to have impact studies on how they will manage the waste produced during construction we can’t just keep rolling along with no thought process to what’s really going on and the impact it has on the environment and the social impact as well ..we have to all ask these questions
We need the 30 + story buildings as space is limited. Great idea and we are 1000% behind it. God Bless the Cayman Islands!
speak for yourself, NOT the rest of us.
Too late. The destruction started ages ago. This island isn’t the paradise people think it is.
It is for some people chum!
the idea of restricting vehicle imports has a lot of merit. the Honda fit/accord menace is out of control at present and removing 1000s of the unroadworthy pieces of scrap currently driving about would be great.
however before the government does that, please for the love of God, have a proper strategic transport infrastructure plan in place or ongoing. a reliable, regulated public transport system and an affordable and safe taxi service. encourage people, primarily expats as they won’t be able to import cars, to get on bicycles or scooters to get around but make sure the road network is set up for pedestrians and cyclists.
to often cig float these grand ideas with no thought as to how anything will actually work in practice. this is partly because the civil service is woefully under qualified to carry out any but the most basic of tasks and the vested interests in local politics that block decisions being made as it impacts the paymasters behind the scenes. maybe this time, just maybe, something can be done to address the longterm issues around traffic on the islands.
I5s scary how whimsical our politicians are when playing with all of our lives. Always shooting from the hip with absolutely no practical, sensible vision or logic.
The standard of driving tests (for the people); and roadworthiness tests for imports and annual licensing (for the cars) is a joke. Public transport is unreliable, often non-existent outside GT/WB. Fixing that would likely fix the entire problem, except the bottleneck at Hurleys which is only getting worse as over-population and over-development continue encouraged and unchecked. Sucks if you live out that way.
It’s not the cars that need to stop importing it’s people the card can’t drive without them too much people for a small country
spot on. houses with 4 cars but only 2 adults still only means two cars on the road at any one time.
moving people out of cars with only one occupant is key. the answer is many small wins rather than mega projects.
raise car taxes (import duties/annual licensing) and reduce scooter/motorbikes
promote ebikes and escooters by improving roads and bike lanes. also provide insurance to users
revamp the buses. govt provide next gen ebuses with gps tracking and smart tech so not only do you know how long until your bus arrives you know how many empty seats there are.
car pooling apps so morning and evening congestion is reduced
each car off the road is one car quicker we all get home. we are all road users and we need to start thinking smartly rather than expecting quick commutes as a right.
Both
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a ******* stupid ******* proposal by these ******* nitwits in Parliament. I look forward to seeing these idiots arguing against themselves and maybe figure out the contradiction 🤦🏽♀️
‘Two private members’ motions set to be presented in parliament next week will see MPs debate the issue of increasing the current building height limits to 20 or even 30 storeys, and restricting car imports to alleviate traffic congestion.’
That 4.51 is wa ya get with a bunch of amateurs each with their own agenda.
No national unity, no party policy, with no leadership for a drifting rudderless UDPact.
In promoting his “patron’s” commercial ambitions, Mac says 30 floors
At just 4 units per floor, that’s 120 apartments.
Average 3 people per apt. = 360 people.
At minimum 2 cars per apt..plus visitor and employee parking ..= 275 cars..at least.
That means about 1.5 acres of asphalt, and surface drainage.
And 275 cars exiting and returning at rush hour, on and off 30ft wide congested roads.
Engage what little brain you have Mac , before spouting ill considered nonsense.
Mac needs to shut up and get out.
The people suggesting 20-30 stores structures are as dumb as you can find. Is the fire department equipped to deal with such tall structures in case of fire. Have a brain or else you occupy an room in the new mental health facility.
Why are we hastening to change or landscape into South BEACH. The people who are coming here are not in search of South Beach, they are looking for a peaceful and slower pace social life.
Slow down construction/development down. Create another development plan and stick to it. Stop deviating from original plans for these islands and jogging along special interest groups, who are destroying the wetlands.
Something really needs to be done about the amount of cars being brought into this Island. Put in a proper reliable bus system. Stop all the export of these used cars which only end up in the dump a few years later. I have no idea how so many of these cars even pass inspection. Black smoke coming out of them. Tape holding them together. Rusted with holes in them. Making us look like a 3rd World Country instead of a high end destination we advertise ourselves to be.
Right, won’t affect me, I can afford a brand new car, but what about those that cannot.
So essentially only the wealthy will be able to have cars as even as the new cars age out, they will be VERY expensive so those that are less wealthy can’t afford.
I think they’re suggesting you lease, which ultimately would cost more than buying, so equally impossible for the general non-HNW population. Dumb and dumber!
And therein is the problem. It’s not the importation that is the problem – it’s the complete failure to police and enforce vehicle roadworthiness that would take these wrecks off the roads and stop them being licences in the first place. But we don’t do enforce my in Cayman – love our laws, just don’t enforce them.
just an FYI this is a 3rd world country. it’s just glossy due to financial fees. take them away and the entirity of the civil service will no longer receive a pay check. this country would bottom out surviving on $$$ from tourism. stop all imports….for 6 – 8 months ultimate disaster on fantasy island.
And yet, you choose to live in a ‘third world’ country. Can’t be as bad as you think then?
It’s actually a clever waste management technique by Japan. Rather than go through the expense of breaking down and recycling cars, just dump them on 3rd world countries for cheap. Other Caribbean countries figured this out a long time ago and tightened import restrictions.
No it is not. It is about economy and emissions. New cars are cheap, older cars have to undergo strict testing for emissions. This what created the market and a popular destination is Australia which is not a third world country. Japanese cars are normally very clean ( you won’t see a Japanese family stuffing french fries in their faces while in a car) and in good condition.
Before posting a comment about anything learn when to use words Number and Amount.
Imports wouldn’t be a problem if the import vehicle testing was any good. Unroadworthy vehicles wouldn’t be on the road if we had decent annual inspections and policing/enforcement. The standard of driving would be much better if we had half-decent driving tests. My car is almost 20 years old and in far better condition than most I see on the road. Imports are not the problem, antiquated and equally ill-thought government legislation and policies are.
By failing to putt in continuous bike corridors, the PPM ensured there would be no other safe alternative to move around than in a steel cage. PACT could fix that situation very easily for $2mln, and provide sustained jobs for a crew of a half dozen or more. Paint, stencil, order a wholesale container load of armadillos from Alibaba and make amendments to Traffic Law penalizing anyone obstructing those corridors.
Need to put in a physical barrier/curb between bike lanes and cars. Just like Copenhagen. At least put around seven mile corridor and see how it goes. Pretty cheap to do.
🤣🤦♀️🙊 mentality of people living in Copenhagen is much different from that of Cayman.
I would like to know how some of the upmarket condos have been allowed to put bollards in the road that cyclists have to manoeuvre around. They do it to stop people parking for beach access but this also creates a danger to cyclists.
Bike corridors in Cayman? Do you mean Death corridors? How about Public Transportation that nearly every civilized and developing country has?
I don’t think the resources for bike lanes are warranted. If thousands were to use it and get out of a car sure, but given half the year the weather is rainy and/or too humid and hot to use I think the money would be better directed towards a proper, reliable bus system.
Are you blind? Roads are flat and weather is mostly perfect for riding. If you don’t want to sweat in the summer, use an e-bike. There are thousands that would ride a bike if it was safer than it is now.
I can only drive 1 car at a time. but idiots can drive theirs like absolute scum all the time. enforcement of laws is the answer you dumb dumbs.
Right? I have 3, but only drive one at a time…SMH…
Volume = Gridlock
The import restriction is an okay idea, but there is no way you can implement it without having a proper public transportation system in place.