Traffic troubles stir up political friction
(CNS): MPs on both sides of the House went to battle on Thursday over the best ways to tackle traffic jams and who was to blame for the delays in the East-West Arterial Road extension. A private member’s motion brought by Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart asked the government to consider rolling out some of the measures outlined in a traffic report conducted by the last administration. It failed, but not before it sparked friction as politicians on both sides accused each other of failing to get to grips with Cayman’s growing road congestion.
The PMM was based on a 2020 report, overseen by former Progressives MP Austin Harris, which included a long list of recommendations, such as limiting car imports and decentralising government offices. The opposition leader said the PPM-led Unity government had not implemented any of the measures because COVID had distracted the administration, and because the lockdown had reduced traffic, it was not a priority.
But now, he said, it could form the basis of action to address the reemerging, perhaps even worse, traffic problems. He said he wasn’t calling for the government to adopt all the recommendations but should consider some ideas, such as reversing lanes during rush hour and limiting the importation of vehicles, given that in 2019 residents imported on average over 460 vehicles per month, which is believed to be even more now.
McTaggart said that while the premier had suggested in his Strategic Policy Statement that PACT was going to limit car imports, the government had not moved to address that. He also accepted that the government had to roll out an improved public transport system, but he criticised PACT for being slow off the mark, seeing as the PPM had left a fully prepared and ready-to-go request for proposals.
Transport Minister Kenneth Bryan took issue with that criticism. He said the PPM had had eight years to deal with traffic and when the PACT Government took office, it was faced with the challenge of re-opening the country while the virus was still spreading. But the government had nevertheless asked the consultants that have now been contracted to speak with the opposition.
Bryan said the most important thing to do, before any restrictions are placed on cars and driving, is to address public transport. He also stressed the current government’s goal to decentralise its own offices, and that would be heavily dependent on the East-West Arterial.
Minister Jay Ebanks, who is responsible for roads and vehicle registration, rejected the motion, saying it was premature. He agreed with Bryan that having an “on-time service” that would give residents in the Eastern Districts a reliable alternative system to get into town should be prioritised before placing any restrictions on cars. But he also criticised the PPM for doing nothing to get the road extension moving except put up a sign.
Extending the EWA out to Frank Sound became the focus of the debate as both sides of the House pointed fingers across the aisle for not moving on the controversial road. As the members fell over each other to offer their support for the road and the encroachment into the Central Mangrove Wetlands, former premier Sir Alden McLaughlin (RED) offered his wholehearted support for the development of this critical habitat, as he taunted Premier Wayne Panton about what he said was his lack of support for the road.
McLaughlin, who has criticised the National Conservation Law and the restraint he claims it places on development, said the dredging and filling of the South Sound mangroves had been an essential part of the Cayman Islands’ economic development.
“More than 70% of Grand Cayman is or was mangrove swamp. Now, you tell me how we expect to continue to grow a country, to develop, without intruding on that,” he said. McLaughlin said the country could not continue to develop unless it developed in the Central Mangrove Wetlands. He said people did not care about the environmental impact assessment but wanted the road finished.
In response, Panton, who is the minister for sustainability, took aim at McLaughlin. He said he was fully supportive of the road and accused the former premier of misleading the public over his position, but said the extension had to be done properly. He also took McLaughlin to task over his claims that the EIA was something that had only been raised recently.
“I support the proper approach to dealing with the East-West Arterial extension,” he said, noting that the opposition members were trying their best to promote the idea that he does not support the road. But he stressed the importance of the EIA, as Cayman has historically made the mistake of always doing things without planning or assessing the impact of development.
“One of the problems we have had is that we continue to make decisions on an ad hoc basis without properly thinking through everything and our margin for error is shrinking,” he said, adding that the negative impact was growing because of the lack of necessary planning.
Panton pointed out that during the PPM-led administration between 2013 and 2017, when he served alongside McLaughlin, they knew an EIA would be needed when planning the road and McLaughlin had committed to this in 2014. But the planning ministry had written to him in 2016 to him when he was environment minister telling him they didn’t want to do one. He said there was an “abject failure” on the part of the previous administration relating to the EIA.
Panton said there were a number of issues that had to be confronted, including the number of cars being imported, which was staggering. If all the cars imported here in 2019 and 2020 were stacked end to end, they would stretch for 26 miles. “That’s why we have a problem,” he said.
See the debate on CIGTV below:
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Category: development, Local News, Policy, Politics
We see comments here urging government to implement a free bus service. I say, No wayyy!
Why? Here:
Free public transport anyone?
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-10-03/local-news/Free-public-transport-Traffic-jams-in-most-parts-of-Malta-6736246362
Consider this: Free public transport would almost by definition be operated by government through an Authority or government corporation. Bermuda had lovely modern comfortable public buses, reliable service, island-wide routes, with good frequency. The seating is quite comfortable and the buses fairly spacious for public trans. Now consider government-run Cayman Airways: they cut schedules and endlessly play with routes to maximise profit and they plan flights to cram as many people into as few flights as possible. The seating is now pathetically cramped and horridly uncomfortable due to downsizing the seats and seat spacing to cram even more people into a plane. And this is a service for which you pay a substantial fare to suffer.
Just IMAGINE what a nightmare a government-run FREE bus service would be like? Holy Lord! I can’t even…
Well well there is a serious conundrum in this matter. Politicians speak with forked tongues. One minute they gong ho about EIA and then in another breath that only hinders development.
Speaking from first hand knowledge it is evident that if a developer has had the conversations with the right bagman then it’s a go, but if you go through the official channel directly you will be rebuffed .
As a Caymanian I say this shiiiirte has to stop and every single development proposed must be independently scrutinized by an independent body ( independent from planning by a select group of caymsn professionals -varied occupations selected by both parties) to ensure that the corrupt mentality of “ my percentage” is no longer allowed to fester in our community . Yes there has been corruption in development on these islands from way back from the first condominiums built on 7 mile beach to the eastern major development elsewhere on island.
How can recent politicians who gave away millions of dollars in concessions even have the face to speak on these matters and to even come out of their yard . No records available , no scrutiny of the value to be received from the concessions snd now talking bout if we don’t allow further mangrove destruction we can’t grow. I say people they are not for us they are for their own darn pockets trust me. Consultancy pays more than being an MP and they have mastered the process with their side men snd bag men. This needs to stop and now. PACT must call for a judicial review of the approval process followed by past governments on developments like the one with a bridge that has bottled up traffic on the 7 mile corridor. The ownership of units must be scrutinized carefully and thoroughly of this and others NOW. Tired a dis Robin Hood tactics of hand outs .
A comment here mentioned Malta. I was curious as I knew Malta was a small but intensely populated island nation.
I came across the editorial referenced below and I had to smile as I read it because the tale it told is all too familiar. Malta allowed development to drive all policy. Now, even in the face of crushing traffic gridlock during peak hours, Malta’s government cannot seem to find a solution. The government and the people have gone man many many years watching the problem grow worse and worse but did not take decisive action, and still have not done so even as the situation becomes a real crisis.
Do some net surfing around the search terms “Malta’s traffic issues” and read the saga of Malta’s traffic woes, I have no doubt that you will get the eerie feeling of deja vu as you read.
Even the title of this editorial will evoke a knowing nod nod among Caymanians: “Maltese Politics is Stuck in Traffic Too”. Sound familiar?
Link to the editorial: https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/editorial/55853/maltese_politics_is_stuck_in_traffic_too
Putting aside the problem of the number of cars, what on earth is the problem with a road through the swamp? Have Caymanians become so ignorant as to believe that saving some mosquito ridden swamp is more important that allowing people to travel from home to work in a reasonable amount of time? As other posters have pointed out, huge amounts of swamp have already been converted to productive land. Most of Seven Mile Beach also had mangrove/almond tree swamp. The Conservation Law is suicidal in this instance. If you want to look at a “developed” place, have a look at Malta.
It’s not the Caymanians who don’t want it built that’s for sure
Alden is saying all the things he knew he couldn’t when he was Premier. He doesn’t care about the environment. He doesn’t care about the average person.
Brain power is missing in CIG. There are no visionaries. We can post thousands comments but nothing will ever change. 🥱🥱
Rookies and incompetent people have turn Cayman into a laughing stock. Keep banging your head against a wall, nothing will change, ever.
14 @ 5:57 am – Just call it as it is – Morons in charge!!
While I might not see a mass transit plan in operation in my lifetime, the sooner the first step is taken, the nearer we all are to a solution.
I live towards the seaward end of Marina Drive. No buses come down here so I drive my own jalopy. Even if I walked to Shamrock or got a lift to there, I can’t get on a bus because they are already full going into town. The bus doesn’t leave bodden town unless it’s full.
You can’t blame the bus drivers and owners as they are dependent on maximum income. They won’t drive empty buses just to fulfill a govt timetable. A mass transit plan needs to buy out the existing private bus owners, and employ the drivers in the govt scheme instead. Tho only for highly skilled, qualified, and routinely tested drivers.
And if I am to drive/cycle to Shamrock, to catch the bus, there will need to be secure/free/non-swamp parking for my car/scooter/bike for the whole day that I am in town at work, and covered waiting areas to wait for the next bus. You know how hot or wet Cayman can get, so covered waiting areas will be essential.
Lots of detail here but none of it is rocket science. We must have hundreds of smart kids who could sort out a mass transit plan. So why can’t the appointed adults get this going ? Ah yes, those who are in power now and who can begin this ordeal, will not be in power at the official opening years later, to take credit.
Since so many of our officials are in awe or beholden to Dart, why not ask him to make a plan ?
Agree with everything you say except the government doesn’t need to buy anyone out unless they have given these guys exclusive rights to run “public transport” on the island…
its all about the he said, she said…..but don’t forget about the starfish navigation system!
A decent public transport system would include drivers of a certain standard. Get the best buses in the world, but I am not getting on one with the current crazy drivers.
They must trained and certified to operate full size Public Buses. And I don’t believe it could be done in Cayman. A whole different ball game.
All school bus and public bus drivers must be subject to pre-employment and random drug and alcohol testing. The provisions and requirements must be set by Cayman Law and Regulation, regardless of commercial driver’s license endorsement.
It could not be done. Many bus and taxi drivers are below standard and would not pass any public transport test, but they sure would be running to their MLAs and to secure votes, exemptions would be issued.
certified bus operators would be hired, not the current maniacs.
Says who and to what ‘certification’?
3:30 pm
I agree with you when you say drivers of a certain standard. Not drivers who park their buses on the side of the road to use the bushes/people’s property for the bathroom.
Why are people on permit allowed to import cars to sell? Their are other persons importing vehicles, are they licensed individuals? Stop the importation racket which is the source of our problems.
Remember those politicians who are against curtailing importation of cars when you vote in the next election..
Explain to us how buying a car off a WP holder operating without a T&B license means there are more cars on the road than if you buy one from a Caymanian dealer or import one yourself for personal use. You have been taken for a fool if you believe the narrative that this is the source of the traffic problem.
McTaggart et al have the rotten and deceitful audacity to criticise PACT for being “slow off the mark” in addressing traffic issues, claiming that the PPM had left a fully prepared and ready-to-go request for proposals. I am no lover of PACT, but all that the PPM left was a plan to request a plan to plan. The PPM did not even toe up to the mark! The PPM did nothing to actually advance the cause. NADA!
The tip-off is in the McTaggart/Hew/PPM motion on addressing the traffic problems, it is the lie contained in the very preface: “…the COVID Pandemic stopped the recommendations in the report from being progressed”. That is total unadulterated and putrid bullzhit!
That Covid stopped the PPM from making any progress on any recommendation is a bold faced lie coming from high-hot-air/low-performance deceivers!
Contrary to the lie contained in the McTaggart/Hew motion, there was MUCH the PPM could have done to begin to advance the MOST important recommendation contained in the report: Priority one being taking strides toward the establishment of a public mass transportation system that is all-island (and on all three islands!), frequent, convenient and AFFORDABLE! Yet, they still stand on the stinking lie and blame Covid for their non-performance. Unbelievable!
Also consider that the PPM also now claim that Covid lessened the number of vehicles on the road, so it was no longer a priority to deal with the problem. What the hell? That is a breathtakingly stupid assertion! As if Covid lockdown impacts would never cease and the problem of overcrowded roads would forever magically disappear? If that is not a glaring example of irresponsibly kicking the can down the road, I do not know what is.
Contrary to their lie, here are just some of the things the PPM could have done in regard to mass transit, Covid or no Covid:
They could have fleshed out the time lines for development and implementation of a mass transit system;
They could have had mass-transit strategies proposed and costed;
They could have worked on estimates on the impact an advanced mass transit system might have in regard to the total number of vehicles on the road;
They could have gathered estimates on how increased dependence on mass-transit would affect the cost of living on the Cayman population, breaking it down by demographic;
They could have gathered estimates as to how much per annum the government could save on road construction and upkeep;
They could have begun studies and gathered data on how much mass transit could lessen environmental impact and carbon emissions;
They could have gathered demographic data to assist in determining routes and frequency of service;
They could have begun to plan proposed routes on all three islands.
This is to name but a few areas of ground work they well COULD have done. They were just too damn lazy and worthless to undertake ANY of it. Bottom line: The PPM could have done MUCH to start the process of building an acceptable, safe, reliable and affordable mass transit system. They chose to do nothing. Now they make excuses and proffer the pathetically lame lie that Covid stopped them and it was not a priority then in any case. That is a load of total stinking crap! Why did they choose to do nothing???
Another point to look at is that their motion to support the report covers way too broad of a scope. Whenever something similarly broad pops up, government gets bogged down in minutiae and trying to prioritise and address too many issues. Better to focus on only, say, the three most urgent priorities. No one can refute that the the top priority is addressing the lack of public mass transit. So, make that the top priority.
Yet another point is that the emphasis on mass transit frequency and reliability is too limited. For example: what good is frequency and reliability if the transportation system fares are going to further untenably strain the already unbearably tight budget of the working people?
Where to from here:
If McTaggart and Hew are sincere and not just just trying to win political brownie points, and if they have any political integrity, and if they are truly concerned about implementing the most important measures to alleviate dependence on private vehicles, they would have withdrawn their tripe grandstanding motion with its lame lie, and they would table one that identifies and deals with the #1 priority upon which nearly all of the rest of the recommendations in their current motion’s report depends: the development and implementation of a safe, reliable, all-island (for all three islands), affordable, mass transit system. The other recommendations which are easy and fairly quick to implement and should not impact the cost of living can be added (such as modifying traffic flow, establishing bike/pedestrian lanes, etc. But in no case should the top target priority be other than establishment of a public mass transport system.
And another thing…!
The powers that be love to toss around the numbers of vehicles imported, but that does nothing to give an indication of the number of vehicles actually operating on the road. The important number to consider is the total number of vehicles currently licensed. Absent the latter number, and if one insists on using the number of vehicles imported, then one must also report the number of vehicles retired from use in the same time frame.
Priority A-One Prime, addressing dishonesty:
I should trust that Panton/PACT will continue–publicly in Parliament–to challenge McTaggart’s/PPM’s lame excuse as to why they chose impotence and inaction and now place the blame on Covid. The PPM must be called into account for their lie!
[Don’t even get me started on the Arterial.]
@2:38pm..Spot on! I’m so sick of the same old from the PPM..They had 12 years, now they expect PACT to do everything they failed to do in the little time they have been in office.
But but what are the PACT’ achievements? None?
@5:53:
One achievements for PACT: Giving the PPM sluggards someone to whine about in association with the PPM’s lie about Covid preventing the PPM from doing anything about the traffic problem.
bitter rants.
this sounds like an insider focused more on discrediting the opposition rather than pushing for solutions.
We’ve literally given hundreds of solutions on CNS over years so what do you expect now? If MLAs would ever do town halls to ask us then they would know.
8:44:
Bitter rants, you say? That is just silly. Referring to 2:38, it is the calling out of liars, not a rant at all but the truth. Even if it were a rant, lies and liars deserve all the rants we the people can throw at them. You cannot refute the plain truth that what the PPM said was a big lie.
As far as solutions, there is a list given of some of the things that the PPM could have done to begin to solve the problem.
Answer this: Why did they not at least start?
Why point fingers (Getting everyone nowhere) when you can just put your minds TOGETHER to solve this issue.
We get nowhere because no one wants to take responsibility. (Da na my job).
If you care for your home and people (Locals AND Expacts) so much, you wouldn’t bicker back and forth. Time to stop acting like children.
One government group is better than 5 always arguing at each other
Such pity
“Expacts” have no say in this. We can’t vote. MP’s couldn’t care less what we think even if most of us have far more experience with how other governments solve these problems. The ONLY idea tabled so far is to prevent expats importing cars and to make us buy cars off Caymanian dealers. The OBVIOUS solution to anyone who has ever been anywhere outside of Cayman and North America is PUBLIC TRANSPORT. This is EASY to fix. You have a BILLION $ budget. Buy a fleet of busses. Build some bus stops. Train some bus drivers, GPS track them all and show them on a simple app. It could even be free/funded by car licensing/gas duty. On any given day you could replace THOUSANDS of car journeys. But they won’t do it because tourists would use it and the taxi cartel can’t then rip them off. Nothing will change. Good luck.
Except YOU can’t spell buses.
And NO ONE is getting on a bus. It’s too hot, too unreliable and Caymanians have very high expectations now.
Expacts (ha ha ha ha) will do whatever the country they arrive in demands.
But wait at a bus stop in the boiling heat, high humidity, pouring rain, etc etc with two children in tow? Nope.
Firstly, try using a dictionary, busses is also correct.
Secondly if you’re too self-important and precious to wait for a free bus then you can sit in a car and pay $10 or $15 gas, your choice, that’s fine. Having a choice is the whole damn point. We aren’t all “Caymanians with very high expectations”; lots of us would love to not need the expense of a car. Surely you want us off the road? It’s not all about YOU and your children Mary. Maybe travel a little and see how MILLIONS of people cheaply and efficiently commute into cities all over the world in every climate on public transport every single day.
Thank you though for showing exactly why nothing will change and why you’ll still be moaning about it a decade from now. Do those “very high expectations” include sitting in traffic for 3 hours for the rest of your working life?
Surely the point of running a proper bus service is that it is not unreliable, that it is scheduled and runs fixed routes at fixed intervals. Bermuda manages just fine.
And busses is fine too.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bus
@10:36:
The usage of “buss” goes beyond the usage in the definition to which you referred: that alternative is the use of the word in the context of “kiss”–in which case, the plural is always “busses”. MW does mention the “kiss” usage in other places on the web site: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buss
Just goes to show that even a so-called “authoritative source” can be confused and confusing.
Busses vs buses:
https://www.dictionary.com/e/buses-or-busses/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/plural-of-bus
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/vs/busses-vs-buses
Stats:
https://sapling.ai/usage/busses-vs-buses
While some so-called “authorities” calls “busses” incorrect when used in reference to the plural of a means of transport, most concede that “buses” is preferred but that “busses” is not incorrect.
Minds 2:09?
Minds? If the collective minds of the PACTless Clown Car and the shifty lying PPM ever had a worthwhile idea for solving our problems, it died of loneliness or inactivity long ago. 0+0=0 every time.
WORK PERMIT HOLDERS working for an employer who can afford a pick-up bus for them … these people in the thousands don’t need a car !!!
You’re absolutely right. I guess I’ll just get my 6 year old to walk 9 miles to school.
Obviously not YOU but hey if it works…
And here we have it: “all other people should get on the bus so I can drive into town without traffic!”
I think this is the main problem; even with a functioning bus service with AC and free wifi, the car is still a status symbol, so the bus will not be used.
Shut down MRCU and all our traffic problems will be solved within 3 months.
1:16: That was quite creative!
I think it’s a simple fact that we’ve reached a stage in population growth where the existing infrastructure is not fit for purpose. If they want the 100k population dream, then they’re going to have to have a comprehensive plan overhaul a number of things.
But this is Cayman so they’ll do the most ineffective thing possible and pat themselves on the back.
More people live in Bermuda and it is much smaller, territory wise. They Have Public Transportation System. Cayman doesn’t.
Less people live in Bermuda (62,000 versus an estimated 80,000 in Cayman currently), but I totally agree with you on the comparison of a public transport system.
Population density in Bermuda is much higher than in Cayman.
Cayman: 66,498 (2021)
Cut population by 37% problems solved stop foreigners on work permit selling and importing cars into these islands. foreign debbles need to go home
so they can still buy them, they just can’t sell them? what damn difference do you imagine that makes? doh.
Jess…short for jess a lil xenophobic.
This is how it is done in 🇧🇲Bermuda.
https://youtu.be/6w99t7nZkqg
https://youtu.be/4eO3PrC18Dw
https://youtu.be/YZpV0Zwfe4E
Are you envious? 🇧🇲Bermuda is miles ahead of Cayman in pretty much everything. Their airport was built right, public transportation, waste management and disposal, protection of environment etc.
Now ask yourself WHY?
I wouldn’t say miles ahead, as Bermuda is billions of dollars in debt, so I wouldn’t be so quick to be envious of others. But yes I agree, we need more efficient public services.
We’re not talking about debt here. We’re talking about public transportation.
Bermuda is miles ahead of Cayman in pretty much everything. Their airport was built right,
I wonder what the airport is going to look like in 30 years when it is owned by the people of Bermuda, and what the total costs will be.
https://bernews.com/2022/07/minister-3-4-million-mrg-payment-to-skyport/
Worry about Cayman airport.
@:l0:03:
Dunno about what the Bermuda airport will look like in 30 years, but as for now, they have regular, reliable, economical public transit to it. A hella lot more than we can say about Cayman.
Look at that, a real bus, not something that looks like it belongs in a war zone in Sub-Saharan Africa being driven by someone who has never passed a real driving test.
😂 spot on
Oh yeah, everything great in Bermuda. Bermuda is suffering from a massive debt burden and large annual deficits. They are in horrible fiscal shape.
The ferries (ie, real ferries and not a motorboat with a canopy) and real buses are a needed addition here — Bermuda does that right.
Ah yes, Bermuda. One of the most racist places on the planet.
Racist or not but they have Public Transportation.
Not at all. Their restrictive policies (example: a CEO does not ride in a bus) have destroyed job and economic growth and robbed Bermudians of potential prosperity. Bermuda is still a rich nation, but it has stagnated and such policies have wiped out years of potential growth.
But it manages to run public transportation and does it great!
looked at Bermuda before moving here, not for me. Has its own major issues. They do show how easy proper busses are as a solution to our transport problems though.
Agree, it has issues just like every UK territory. Yet they have excellent Public Transportation. I lived and worked in Bermuda. I used public buses to get around.
6:20. I guess that why Bermuda companies are moving to Cayman. Bermuda is deep in debt while Cayman isn’t.
Bermuda is miles behind Cayman in everything except their costs of living is higher.
Correct. If CIG is serious about Public Transportation System they must start working on sending candidates for various jobs to get trained and certified. From bus drivers and bus maintenance and repair mechanics to bus air conditioner repairmen, etc. The whole new system must be setup from a scratch. Rules and regulations must be setup.
UK. Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driver training that normally lasts between 1 and 6 weeks. the Certificate of Professional Competence is then issued. .
US. Transit bus driver training programs teaches one how to drive buses and other passenger vehicles through both classroom and fieldwork. You’ll spend time in the classroom learning about rules, regulations and procedures of transit bus driving. You also learn about inspecting the vehicle before your daily route and how to drive defensively. Much of your time is spent in hands-on driving situations, learning the basics of bus control before you take it out on the road. You’ll practice on set courses and then drive the bus under the supervision of an instructor, or experienced bus or truck driver. These programs typically take about 160 hours to complete, including state testing.
News from Bermuda. New buses that are 5 inches longer require additional training. https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20180201/training-for-new-bus-will-not-cost-more/
We’re are taking about public transportation here, aren’t we? Stay on the subject.
The East West arterial has only ever been about opening up land, on both sides of the pissing contest. It will do nothing to alleviate the existing traffic issues.
import cars is NOT the problem. it is the number of people living on island need go to work. it need much harder laws to protect 2 wheel so more people can use bike/scooter/motorbikes.
Too hot
Too dangerous
Too much obesity
East-West Arterial, where are we now 🚜?
https://youtu.be/Adjsh3VmNyQ
Damn foolishness blaming each other when something goes wrong,
Get a grip, you supposed to be grown men representing the people not some elite group lining your pockets and playing a blame game get a grip man.
There is basically one road from east end and further which leads to town what did you all expect to happen when allowing all these cars on island and builders ripping people off.
Good luck money grabbers
Man??
Men??
What are they?
Sir Alden I care not only for me but for the next generations after me. Your statement:
“More than 70% of Grand Cayman is or was mangrove swamp. Now, you tell me how we expect to continue to grow a country, to develop, without intruding on that,” he said. McLaughlin said the country could not continue to develop unless it developed in the Central Mangrove Wetlands. He said people did not care about the environmental impact assessment but wanted the road finished”
Look at how we are living now, scared to venture outside your home after 6 pm, traffic is frustrating and stressful both morning, lunch and evening, housing prices are out of reach for the average Caymanian, cost of living exceeds basic salaries, etc… what happens when you increase the population by 30k? You will get the same brand as any other Caribbean island, reefs/corals will die from the lack of mangroves in turn no marine life, increase in crime, pressure on the current infrastructures, our culture and way of life will be gone and for good this time. Is it really worth the risk to destroy our mangrove for a few dollars?
Leaves me to wonder whether what I heard about Sir Alden owning a business that caters to the construction industry is true. Sure sounds like it could be.
Sir Alden is my hero!
“Panton pointed out that during the PPM-led administration between 2013 and 2017, when he served alongside McLaughlin, they knew an EIA would be needed when planning the road and McLaughlin had committed to this in 2014. But the planning ministry had written to him in 2016 to him when he was environment minister telling him they didn’t want to do one.”
And this right here is all you need to know about why the E-W road has not been built. They don’t actually want to do it, much less do it right. Why did Alden & the PPM not want the road built (right)?
I’ve got an idea, how about charging the 2nd highest duty rate (37%) of all vehicles for scooters & motorcycles (non-electric) over 90cc. or the same as 5% less than all combustion engine cars (42%) over $30,000 or electric vehicles for public transportation (42%) over $30,000, – the ‘C’ in PACT doesn’t define common sense 🤷🏻♀️
Nonsensical idea.
This is how ridiculous the current set up is,
mrsp for a 2006 200cc Vespa $5000
current second hand price $4000 (immaculate condition)
Estimate shipping, crating $1500
37% duty on $5500 – $2035
Total $7535 or $2500 more than the msrp listed 16 years ago, or very close to dbl the second hand sale price. Yes there’s the fixed costs that keep it artificially inflated but Govt says they have a traffic problem and 37 % doesn’t really steer to alternatives
p.s. – the Vespa is just a random sample, the same mechanics apply to whatever is bought
“people don’t care about the environmental impact assessment” and that, in a nutshell, is why the long term future of these once beautiful islands is @*&%ed.
Butterfield roundabout is basically a stop sign on a freeway (Esterly Tibbits) with a side road (Godfrey Nixon) getting the right of way.
Roundabouts work great until the traffic reaches a critical mass which Butterfield/ALT roundabout is now at during rush hour. The simplest and best solution is traffic lights, on the roundabout, during rush hour. Works well in the UK. Remains to be seen if our standard of driver can cope with lights and a roundabout at the same time though.
1/ Decent Public transit for commuters with district parking
2/ Road closures for events require cabinet approval
3/ Put synchronised traffic lights on main roundabouts from Camana Bay to Hurleys
4/ Open the airport connector
5/ Raise the price of gas to $10
1,2 and 4 are reasonable. 3 and 5 are outright stupid.
3 is unneccesary but lights on Butterfield roundabout makes sense only when traffic is heavy it can’t cope. Why shouldn’t government tax fuel, they do everywhere else in the world? $10 is reasonable if there is a real public transport alternative. Very few people actually need massive SUV’s and idiotic jacked up offroad trucks, I’ve got both but freely admit they are pretty stupid!
Yes, point 5 is stupid. But would stop people driving (and living here) and reduce traffic.
Roundabouts really do not work in heavy traffic periods, it’s not unusual to crawl from Camana Bay to Butterfield. That should be a traffic light.
Traffic lights don’t work the rest of the time and are far less safe in an accident(cars traveling perpendicular and head on not roughly all in the same direction). Traffic lights on a roundabout during peak congestion is the best of both worlds and what they do all over Europe.
and traffic lights are terrible the rest of the time.
Robust driving tests would clear the traffic problem in a jiffy
agree with all points with the exception of #5. #5 will only punish the poor
But #1 a proper safe/cheap/free public transport system will save people who can barely afford a car (aka the poor) from needing one at all.
The last thing an ordinary person wants to hear is raise prices, but if we taxed the hell out of gas and used the funds for a proper, free public transport, perhaps more people would be incentivized to drop the ego of I need my car and hop on a bus.
I love my cars but you’re 100% right. Those of us who wish, or have, to use personal transport should be paying to fund proper public transport (either through gas taxes or vehicle licensing) which will have the obvious added benefit of freeing up the roads for everyone. We can’t sit in traffic and expect anything to change if we are not prepared to either change ourselves, or pay for someone else to change!
Free public transport, real gps tracked busses not 3rd world vans, raise annual car license to $1-2000 to pay for it.
Read 1:49pm comment to see what it takes, not Maniacs in dilapidated vans
I dont get how reducing car imports or limiting car ownership per household improves traffic.
i.e. – if I own 3 cars, i can still only drive one at a time.
Not sure how the government wants to grow the population to 100K but then force people to use overcrowded, unreliable public transport system.
Also not sure how it is that we continue to increase the number of officers assigned to the Traffic unit, but you can never see any police on the road unless they want do licence, tint checks and 5pm speed catch. the amount of tickets they could give out just for inproper lane use only should bring in close to $1M in revenue!
Follow along Bermuda rules – limit cars to 1 car per household (ok make it 2 if you wish per household, not per person). So if there are 4 adults in a family household, or 6 sharers, you still get to have only 2 car in the household. Others in the house rely on public transportation (when it comes) or bikes or foot, or favors 🙂
Stupid idea. Why should I who lives on 7mb, doesn’t work and can walk to the shops get the same ‘car allowance’ as a household in Savannah with 2 working parents and 2 working adult kids at home?
My, my… our esteemed Ministers had another productive session. The cost of that meeting in the wasted salaries is an insult to everyone.
Government after government fails to address
-Public Transportation
-Waste Management
-Education
-Overdevelopment
-Natural habitats destruction
They all talk about these problems, but they don’t understand its fundamentals.
“Bryan said the most important thing to do, before any restrictions are placed on cars and driving, is to address public transport. ” – Well duh. It’s only what EVERYONE on the whole damn island has been saying for at least a decade! And by the way these garbage little vans are not public transport!
We don’t need to grow the island anymore! For such a small island, there is enough people living here now!
It’s all about greed, and a few politicians just want to fill their pockets even more.
Instead of a road, build a bridge.
man, I love watching mcaldart and Roy try to throw shade over problems they either made themselves or never tried to fix. It’s so clear Roy is still salty over PPM loosing power that he will rant about anything he can find, he doesn’t care that most of the time the blame ends up on his administration just so long as he can be the center of attention for a brief moment.
What we need to do is stop this district voting crap and get one man one vote. Cayman is to small to have district voting and all it does is allow MLAs to maintain control over the people’s will.
laughable debate…that goes to show the lack of basic education and ability needed for real leadership….
so they need a new road for eastern development???
wow…this is news to me cos all i ever heard was the ew extension was needed to relive traffic coming to gt.
these guys have no clue and are a bunch of unqualified fools…talking about plans about plans….
MLAs are so far out of touch on this issue. Restricting car imports will force people on to public transportation and stop all these people importing cars a second income.
Force people into public transport? How about we have proper public transport that people WANT to use not some 3rd world vans? It’s a tiny, rich island. This is EASY!
🚌🚎🚃Public Transportation must be the #1 priority.. I believe Canadians helped to implement public transportation in Bermuda. Leave it to CIG, nothing will ever change.
Public Transportation System includes dispatch, tickets sale, schedules, full size buses, buses maintenance and repairs, daily inspections and cleaning, drivers certified to operate public buses. Scheduling frequency, route timing, and bus stop locations are all part of the transit planning process, which takes into account not only short-term forecasts but also long-term predictions.
After that, monitoring route performance, and geographic and demographic data in order to optimize existing routes and identify the need for new routes or stops.
If they start today, maybe in 3 years it will be set to go.
and a police officer on every bus cause criminals will rob you.
They rob no one on Bermuda buses. If you cant visit Bermuda and take a ride on Public bus, watch sone videos.
https://youtu.be/6w99t7nZkqg
sounds like Bermuda has better Police then.
do-nothing-ppm vs no-plan-pact.
whoever wins…cayman loses.
Public transport is not the issue. The issue is there’re to many people bring in used cars and selling them. To many brokers. The people buying these cars are the 3rd world labor peeps that view owning a car as a status symbol. At one car per work permit holder.
Restrict imports first and force these people to use what public transport we have and then focus on public transport overhaul.
The absence of Public Transportation is THE issue. Travel to Bermuda how it should be done.
I can only drive 1 car so that’s a dumb idea. I would forego a car if I didn’t need to drive if there was a reliable and safe public transportation option.
the public transport we have now is insufficient for the demand you suggest.
Cayman has NO Public Transportation System. Your comment demonstrates an ignorance.
Said the taxi driver…
Can’t drive more than one car at a time. Doesn’t matter how many vehicles there are. Having the option to get on a bus or a tram means you l can leave the car in the garage or not buy one. Ditto bike lanes. But don’t let that get I. The way of you’re wanting to blame “these people”.
why “force people”? what kind of demented way to govern a tiny island is that. why not create a public transport system everyone WANTS to use? it’s really not difficult. this island has enough money to make it free. it would transform the quality of life here for EVERYONE. (except the taxi mafia)
With all due respect to the Hon Premier, we have a problem not because we have a lot of cars but because government after government (including yours) have not dealt with the issues relating to development planning, environmental issues, public transport, just to name a few, all of which contribute to the traffic problems we have today. No government had wanted to deal with these difficult issues and now it’s all coming to a head.
We need big changes and we need small changes.
A couple of quick wins:
– Encourage carpooling by having carpool only parking just outside the Govt Admin Building. Everyone else has to walk from far way.
– Adjust working hours of Govt (and large employers as well – Walkers, Maples). 7 am, 7:30, etc. This is especially helpful for Financial Services during the time of year when NYC is one hour ahead
– Have a Camana Bay shuttle and a Cricket Square shuttle each from West Bay and Bodden Town. With good wifi on it so people would rather sit on that than in their car in traffic.
– Buses for private schools. Or priority drop off lane for carpooling families
– Encourage public students to USE the buses they have. I was shocked at the stat that showed the drop in school bus ridership between 2010 and now.
Also priority carpool parking at Camana Bay (and at all large employers) to encourage people to carpool there as well.
Can we also limit importation of people??
They keep saying limit the number of cars but there are people in the cars. So I think this is just a symptom of our bigger problem which is uncontrolled population growth!!
Time to end the Global Citizen Program – we are no longer in the same position as we were during Covid where we needed people here so that service staff would have people to serve.
Time to end the PR by independent means. Or if not end, at least increase the minimum investment. This number hasn’t changed in YEARS. It was meant to be high net worth people investing $2.5M. But $2.5M doesn’t have the same buying power today and all this has done is drive up housing prices for “normal” people. Plus they don’t interact as part of the community except to complain about how things are done here from their condo at the Kimpton or the Ritz.
All of this growing population just snowballs – then we need more teachers, more doctors, more helpers, more cashiers, more hair stylists, more you name it! There is no end in sight to this rising population.
…”More hair stylists.” Yea that’s a horrible issue to avoid.
Obviously I just meant more people means we need even more people to be able to serve them all!
To 3.59 Nitpicker. Not quite as horrible as a nitpicker like you.
It’s catering to these rich people you love so much that is driving house prices up.
Cars do not drive themselves, it is the over population that we have that has caused such traffic. How about removing a few people?
I assume you will volunteer to be first in line?
I am a Caymanian by BIRTH & generationally. I na going nowhere, I don’t have anywhere else to go unlike majority of you people.
absolutly,presently looking for somewhere bcoz the uncontrolled population increase has turned what was a nice place to live into a sh#t place to live.all in the space of about 5-7 years.caymans gone an yes gov still sat on its hands an kicking the can down the road.
Extending the EWA will make no difference to the traffic problem elsewhere on island…
They need to fix Hurleys bottleneck first. Traffic mostly free after that going home unless there’s an accident between countryside and BT.
Long before COVID, Joey Hew had already registered failure to deliver the bike corridors that he had promised, which were part of NRA Plan, directing policy and filling budgets from 2015. With over 200 days of sunshine a year, it still makes sense to build sensible protected paths where cyclists can worry less about getting “hit and run”, maimed, “left for dead”, or killed. Good for environment, better for personal health, quality of life, cheaper to maintain, taking hundreds of unnecessary vehicles off the road – alleviating parking headaches and traffic…the only losers are the gas station owners currently thriving on weak and suggestible MP memory. The CIG must deliver and maintain this continuous infrastructure as a base top transportation priority. OAG might audit to find out where our last seven years of NRA budgetary funds for cycling infrastructure actually went and seek to recoup those funds.