EWA plan benefits from scrutiny, says road expert

| 09/03/2023 | 61 Comments
Traffic congestion on Grand Cayman, Cayman News Service
Traffic congestion on Linford Pierson Highway (from Amplify Cayman video)

(CNS): The author of a report about the potential impact of the East-West Arterial extension on traffic congestion has stated that he has no vested interest in whether the road progresses. He also said that he did the work pro bono and was not directed to find any specific conclusions but to take an independent look. In the face of criticisms about the assessment undertaken for local activists, Amplify Cayman, Kevin Kay, a UK road planning expert, told CNS that the project would only benefit from additional scrutiny.

Kay based the report on open-source data provided by the National Roads Authority and his experience in the field. He drew a number of conclusions that could contribute to the public consultation process and said that his findings should be seen as contributing to a healthy debate.

“Whether or not people in favour of the scheme seek to voice their criticism is fine, but it does not change the fact that decisions on schemes such as this, whatever the outcome, do benefit from scrutiny and a healthy debate,” he said. “If matters are judged on the basis of who shouts the loudest, that would make for less robust decision making.”

Kay made a number of observations in his report that Amplify Cayman hopes will be taken into consideration once the terms of reference for the environmental impact assessment are finalised and become part of the long list of issues that need to be closely examined during that process.

However, concerns remain that construction of the road will go ahead even if it is not possible to fully mitigate the risk of increased flooding and extensive environmental damage. At least three ministers, including Planning Jay Ebanks, who is responsible for roads, have said that this extension will be built regardless.

Transport Minister Kenneth Bryan recently stated publicly that the EIA conclusions would not stop the project but would merely guide how it is done. And despite his position as the minister of sustainability, Premier Wayne Panton has also thrown his support behind the road, while earlier assurances he made to the public that if the road was built it would not lead to the development of the Central Mangrove Wetlands have been undermined by Ebanks.

In complete contrast to the position taken by the premier, the planning minister has made it clear that although the road is not a solution to traffic congestion, it will enable more development in the Eastern Districts. Local environmental activists have long believed that the extension to the EWA has always been about development and that the wetlands are under threat far beyond the 174 acres that will be directly impacted by the road itself.

Drawing on his long experience in his field, Kay also told CNS that history demonstrates that building roads encourages development, which in turn encourages car use. 

“Faced with a climate emergency, developments should be located in the most accessible places, where the opportunities exist to promote walking, cycling and public transport,” he advised. “The EWA extension would increase the accessibility by car from eastern areas, which would, in turn, increase the pressures to develop in areas which are located further away from the main poles of employment, leading to increases in overall vehicle kilometres and CO2 emissions.”

Congestion, he warned, is self-fulfilling and more roads can create more congestion, especially where roads intersect. Many believe the EWA is a poor solution to the congestion problems on the outskirts of George Town, caused by the intersection of all traffic coming from the Eastern Districts at the narrowest point of the island.

Kay noted in his report that the real cause of congestion is the funnel effect around Grand Harbour, and traffic patterns reveal pinch-points west of the proposed EWA, where conflicting streams of traffic need to be managed.

He said there is also an argument that the EWA extension could make things even worse on the edge of the capital. This could encourage a shift away from Shamrock Road, risking “a shorter but more intensive peak in car trips in the morning, which would, in turn, cause greater capacity issues for EWA junctions at Grand Harbour and elsewhere”, Kay warned.

Amplify Cayman is asking the government to carefully consider Kay’s report. They suggest that if there is no avoiding a second road from the east coming into town, it should look at developing the alternative shorter and less environmentally damaging coast road through Bodden Town that was gazetted in 1979. BP40 is a bypass through the high, dry limestone coast of Beach Bay that would go from Pedro Castle Road to Manse Road.

“We feel that BP40 would be a solution that balances ecological sensitivity with development,” Amplify Cayman said in its latest campaign video, noting that it could address congestion as well as provide the second route that the government has pushed as justification for the EWA without the same level of destruction.

Although the NRA has not begun the work on this road, the possible construction of the section from Manse Road to Beach Bay Road was part of a lapsed deal between the former PPM government and the developer of the proposed Mandarin Oriental hotel. Since then, that proposed development has been bought, sold and bought again, and it is no longer clear where that leaves previous agreements about BP40.

In his report, Kay said that BP40 is a real alternative to the EWA, as it would offer resilience for emergency vehicles, is better aligned with the patterns of future development and has a better connection with existing residential, employment and tourism areas around Bodden Town. In addition, it would have lower construction costs, given the underlying geology of the coastal bluff, would require less excavation and fill and would have greater resilience to storm surges.

There is no generally accepted delineated floodplain map for Cayman, but the proposed EWA extension is low-lying and, unlike BP40, would be vulnerable to tidal and storm-related flooding.

See documents relating to the EWA extension, including Kay’s report, in the CNS Library.

See Amplify Cayman’s campaign video below:


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Category: development, Local News

Comments (61)

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  1. Anonimous says:

    STOP SELLING YOUR LAND CAYMANIANS!

    Go East Initiative

    Pg #10

    Under the current zonings for Bodden Town, North Side, East End and Cayman Brac, there is in theory, scope for up to 14,800 hotel bedrooms, “(a total of 30 hotels with 500 rooms in each hotel)” or 5,700 apartments and condos within the hotel/tourism zones.

    To put this in context, there are 2,100 hotel rooms and 1,970 condo rooms (for rent) along Seven Mile Beach.

    After the Cayman Islands Owen Roberts Airport expansion, we had 500,000 visitors a year, 41,667 visitors a month and 10,417 each week before the pandemic

    https://www.planning.ky/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GO_EAST_2009.pdf

    NTMP – National Tourism Management Plan

    The NTMP calls for a variety of Mixed-Use Developments that include hotels, restsurants, retail & merchant stores, offices, apartments, condos and homes

    https://www.planning.ky/wp-content/uploads/docs/NTMP_2009-2013.pdf

  2. Anonymous says:

    Instead of moving people to jobs and services why not move jobs and services to people. It would be cheaper to build Government offices out East, partner with Shetty and make it a public/private hospital, build a private school etc. Everything else could be developed out East by private investors, they would go in because land is cheaper.

    It would be save on Vehicle Operating Costs, increase productivity, have more time to spend with family and other social benefits, reduce accidents and road deaths, add to the GDP (unfortunately this can be used to tax)etc. etc.

    All of this should be weighed when building a road with a useful life of 20 years until you need another one instead of buildings with a life of 50 years.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Sherry hospital is owned by Dart now.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Completely agree….I was thinking about this earlier this morning. Govt knows exactly how many of their staff commute in from the Eastern Districts to the Administration Building. Even moving 50 jobs out of the Administration Building to the Bodden Town, Breakers or even Frank Sound would be helpful to traffic.

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  3. Anonimous says:

    Anthony Eden and the PPM gave the people a sound solution years ago, “moved some of the Governments Administration Back Office Jobs to the outer districts and Cayman Brac” to reduce the traffic congestion in George Town and spread development across the island

    But the people ignored them, gave them a hard time and pushed them out of the way………..

    Today, sadly the same problem exist

    Its time we listen to the voices of reason and move some of the Government Back Office Duties to the Outer Districts and Cayman Brac if we want things to change

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Please allow for a commuter lane from Savannah into town in the 2nd lane. Commuter lanes are proven to reduce such congestion and its a low cost proven solution. Just add paint. This will reduce traffic congestion through Hurleys roundabout.

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    • Anonymous says:

      lmao bold of you to thing that drivers will abide by this and not just use it as another lane. lol there no respect on the roads, this is not the solution. This is just adding another lane or changing the rules of a lane.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes and car pool parking spots in a premium place at Government Building, Cricket Square, Walkers, Maples, Camana Bay, etc etc. Anything to encourage people to car pool.

  5. Big Con says:

    This road extension is straight out of the CIG handbook.

    In this example, significant public funds will be deployed for the benefit of the landowner class (free government roads to their land and commensurate value increase) under the cover of helping the working class (the false promise of less traffic).

    I’d love to see the “business case” as required under CIG public finance rules.

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  6. anonymous says:

    Wake up Cayman people – this road is being pushed for many reasons. at least 3 key individuals, former MP and others have land that they have not been able to develop – and no money to build roads. Once that road is in – there will be dozens of planning applications in. There are MANY people in gov’t who will benefit from this. It probably won’t fix the traffic problems, bit it will line the pockets of MANY.
    the people will end up paying. Wayne – you have completely lost the plot! You have everyone believing you cared about the environment – the joke is on us because you have got into bed with the developers – paying $10K to hob nob with the Andrea Bocelli crowd. You have sold out your people Panton!

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  7. Anonymous says:

    free money making solutions:
    Sell goab and build new goab east of frank sound.
    or
    bring in car-pool lanes and congestion charge for single occupancy vehicles that come through hurleys roundabout morning or evening peak times.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Remote work 75% of GOAB, enforce mandatory bus transport for all schools, restrict cruise ships to 3, stagger work times.

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    • Anonymous says:

      LOL you think that majority of drivers who are already frustrated with their travel will follow the rules of the lane? absolutely not. it will be used by anyone and everyone simply to get ahead. They use the shoulder now when traffic is bad, trust me this lane will not work as most drivers dont give a f***

  8. Brian Tomlinson says:

    With all due respect Mr. Kay, take your text book and go home. BP40 would do nothing to help the problem. It was Gazetted at the order of Jim Bodden in the late 1970’s so development could take place along the Pedro Bluff from Savannah to Bodden Town. Bodden Town itself is a major part of the problem for NS and EE commuters.

    If the Government would implement all of the pieces of the road building plan including the critical new links in GT we could have a workable road system. But that won’t be enough. We need to put a tourniquet on the importation of cheap used cars. Too many people that don’t even know how to drive are buying cheap cars and clogging up the roads. Hand-in-hand with that, we need an efficient public transport system, better school transportation for public and private schools, variable work hours, etc., etc. to change the travel patterns to mitigate congestion.

    The Genie popped out of the bottle years ago forewarning of inadequate land use planning which drives the need for transportation. We didn’t listen and now we must face the consequences. We will NEVER have a congestion free road system. We are too far down the line. The best we can do would be to make it tolerable for the working class folks that have no choice but to endure the maddening traffic jams.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I appreciate when a voice of reason, knowledge, and vision arrive to the conversation.

      Thank you Brian.

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    • Anonymous says:

      #dynamite

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    • Anonymous says:

      Brian weren’t you head of NRA at one point? Would it be safe to say you created some of the problem we now are facing. Whilst I appreciate your workable suggestions. However, totally against this road and port in the middle of our largest and last of the mangroves in the middle of the island. Lets face it, right now we are playing Russian Roulette with our environment and with the potential of destroying our north sound and stingray city!!! To be quite frank, we are a bunch of damn fools if this port or road extension goes forward.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The Genie is still stuck in the bottleneck at Hurleys.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Brian, what is your solution for an alternate road then that doesn’t mess up the environment? Or are you saying don’t build the EWA just like you are saying don’t build BP40?

  9. Anonymous says:

    Asking for a friend, who’s gonna pay for this road? You think your light bills are high now, just wait. Sad part is the politicians will give themselves a pay raise and tap each other on the back and congratulate themselves for a job well done on the backs of the poor people and the environment!!

    Voting season can’t come fast enough!

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Jamaican work permit holders should not be allowed to own cars. Problem solved.

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  11. Sea Wood says:

    The photo offers somewhat of an antidote.

    Why not change at least one of the east bound lanes to a west bound lane in the morning?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Here? Where light poles jump out at people often. You think these idiots could manage that? They still drive on the wrong side of the road on the red bay slip road even though it has been 1 lane for 3 years now.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    I do hope they call it Bottleneck Way.

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  13. Plowed Under & Paved Over says:

    It should be beyond belief that politicians with literally zero experience or knowledge in these matters is disregarding expert analysis.

    It being the Cayman Islands, it isn’t. It’s just another step to more development, more road congestion, more pollution, and more profits for those with shady interests.

    Just another day in Plunderland.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Cayman is not up to the task of self-governing. It is destroying itself.

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      • Anonymous says:

        When all of the new developments are occupied and most of the jobs are still in GT, the daily traffic woes we all face now will be pure hell on earth.

        Add 20-30,000 more people and their cars to the roads without addressing the bottlenecks. Even the weekends and holiday traffic will be terrible.

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      • Anonymous says:

        There will be nothing left to govern soon. Besides the government are run by developers like Dart, the people have no say.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Exactly. An average Joe and Jane who run this territory maybe skilled in plumbing, make decisions on issues requiring an expert level.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    From NRA website: “The Rex Crighton Boulevard (formerly the East West Arterial) will be extended by two miles from Hirst Road to east of Woodland Drive in Bodden Town. Site clearing and preliminary filling has commenced – Topographical Survey and Final Design of Phase 1 (the section from Hirst Road to Woodland Drive) are in progress.”

    Photos:

    https://www.caymanroads.com/projects/east-west-arterial-hirst-road-to-woodland-drive

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  15. Anonymous says:

    Cayman needs a Road Planning Expert/Urbanist on the payroll to conform our amateur NRA transportation infrastructure into a modern, cohesive “15 minute” urban plan, which would include bike lanes. Sadly, another example yesterday on why missing safe bike commuter corridors are necessary and overdue.

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    • Anonymous says:

      They appear to have a former politician as a full-time consultant overseeing all projects, maybe that person can assist as he is very experienced in the development of roads.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Neither this road nor BP40 will do anything for traffic. This road just brings all the traffic to a bottleneck with Shamrock and BP40 just brings it through a residential neighborhood followed by a stop sign at countryside.

    The only thing BP40 would accomplish (in fairness) would be to take some of the traffic for people that live on that road off of the main road, but that’s it.

    Time to design overpasses for the bottlenecks.

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    • Anonymous says:

      We need temporary traffic marshalls to direct drivers on how roundabouts are supposed to work. They are not stop signs, and there is a correct right of way system that everyone should be using. Knowing how they work, and weeding out those who have no license, are key interventions that get our roads working better. If only we had a traffic department.

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      • Anonymous says:

        When the lights were out recently, the police officer moved traffic better than the lights did.

        Why are the police not out at choke points daily during peak hours to direct traffic?

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        • Anonymous says:

          The idiot dancing around town does nothing expect make a fool of himself and the RCIPS, while making traffic ten times worse than it needs to be.

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          • Anonymous says:

            He’s the best example of what we all should strive to be. Happy, friendly to all, and good at his job.

            A fine gentleman representing our country well.

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            • Anonymous says:

              You must be from his country if he’s representing you. He certainly doesn’t represent me.

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      • One Love Cayman says:

        We don’t need roundabouts or traffic Marshall’s. We need: less people, less cars , a proper transportation system, and traffic lights where these stupid roundabouts are now placed. I must add traffic lights that are well maintained.

        Al of this nonsense bout destroying wetlands, destroying the ecology of these islands needs to stop now too. PACT you need to go into a retreat for a week and review all of your actions and inactions throughout your term thus far to see where and what you have done right and obviously where you have screwed up with your internal wars and one upmanshio shiiite.

        You were elected to govern for the people of this country not for foreign interests or orioles. So you don’t seem to remember or notice that you are going down the same slippery road of the PPM.

        Take the above for what it is advice and a warning. To those within who are frothing to take over the leadership hold strain cause sll you’re doing is making us all look stupid. Stsy the course snd do right for Cayman or you know what your one term will be very well noted in the history books.

        One Love Cayman

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  17. Anonymous says:

    We need the airport connector road more than this right now get it done. also finish the road by the horse farm. That’s what we need done, not this road it’s going to do nothing but get you backed up faster.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Took a drive on the airport connector roadworks recently. My mistake. They are not working on the connector. Just a short road to access some new (industrial or mixed use) development. D’oh.

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