East-West Arterial extension straw poll
(CNS): Following the vote in parliament last week calling on the government to consider building the controversial East-West Arterial without an environmental impact assessment for the stretch between Hirst Road and Lookout Gardens, CNS is asking readers if they support that move or not. We’d also like to know if people believe the completion of it would address the traffic congestion. The Department of Environment began stressing the importance of the assessment in 2005, not just because of the threat to the Central Mangrove Wetlands but drainage issues as well.
Since then, the planning ministry has challenged the requirement several times, stalling the start of the EIA, which finally got underway this year. Let us know what you think in the online straw polls below.
Category: Opinion Poll
Your building a road that goes through wetland because you didn’t have foresight on traffic or influx of cars. The land is punishing because of politicians after politicians. There is nobody that is eligible or worth being voted for in these upcoming elections. I’ve seen enough to know they don’t know what the hell to do until it’s too late. The beach, the roads, the mental institution & anything else that doesn’t speak money. Their too busy worrying about their power and their image to realize Caymanians are starving and can’t even buy a piece of land. They CAN’T buy in Grand Cayman not WON’T. Anyone that doesn’t see the issue, has the money to ignore it. Even the Caymanians that have the money don’t have time to complain, but they have time to spend it. There is no role model to set an example, ask anyone if they want to grow up and be a politician, it’s not because it’s not easy, nothing is easy. It’s pathetic to grow up and want to be a puppet.
So where are the results? Can’t see them😳😳😳
CNS: you can see them after you’ve voted.
A Causeway across the North Sound is the more sensible solution, run it from North of the landfill straight across which will create the best flow and balance like a Loop, Similar construction to 7 mile bridge Key West or 100 other types worldwide. Make it tall enough for big boats to pass under with a drawbridge for occasional Sailboats. Hardly any impact, drill the holes, drop in the piles and the water and King’s Bottom will never be touched again. The machine that drills the piles also installs the beams so it keeps moving along drilling, dropping and beaming the sections. It will be able to go right into the coastal wetlands in Little Sound and right through as far as needed till you get to solid land. Take the millions the EW EIA will cost and spend it on some REAL consultants and i bet they will agree with the Causeway model. We can always do the EW road later. Are there any figures on cost for EW road ? Prob. not much more for a Causeway. Come on Guys ! Think ahead ! Also fix the dump ! Stop taking fill from the quarries and covering the dump, unless we all plan on living on the dump one day. Its total madness !
The road is to build houses and complexs around and on it.
They don’t give a shit about traffic, that’s how they are selling it to the people.
It’s a road to build more million-dollar condos facing the ocean.
People are clueless
100% correct!!!!!!!!!!
access to land that can not be accessed now
With no coverage from The Compass, The Caymanian Times or MarlRoad 🤔 it kinda clarifies who owns the media and is ruling Da islands- ie not our government.
The bottleneck by Tomlinson’s roundabout is going to be insane!
#epic
Roadside vendors will be needed!
If no alternatives such as a Proper Public Transportation System or perhaps car pooling policies, maybe even staggered work times, if some or all of these are not implemented while the new highway is being built, then the new roadways will only maintain the status quo of trying to keep up with the ever increasing car usage.
It won’t change a thing in the traffic congestion we have today, I’m betting it will exacerbate it.
If CIG is serious about reducing traffic, remote work scheduling would be mandated immediately for every job that can be done remotely. ZERO COST!
Terrible for the environment and my bank account needing to keep the AC cranked in my house all day every day. Good for CUC.
There’s no traffic on Frank Sound Road, which is nice. No traffic really until past the lighthouse. Fix Hurley’s and then see what’s what.
The EIA needs to be done agreed! The road also needs to be built, and the NRA already shows how the road will be elevated on pilings to allow for drainage and so not cause flooding.
No it won’t.
The EIA would help to determine the elevation required for pilings as well as how best to deal with the hydrology and the need for a storm water abatement system. Without this completed, then any attempt by the NRA to build something suitable based on their track record is futile. Nautical, you better grab your boat!
My first sentence says that I agree the EIA needs to be done! I also am all for other ways of reducing traffic, but the road needs to be built – it’s no longer safe for purpose.
The NRA will contract to firms with the relevant experience for building elevated roadways. These types of roads have been built elsewhere for many decades.
My boat is always nearby, we do after all live on an island.
It’s only an island if you look at it from the water.
They do? Where have they said that? Link please.
(Because I heard different based on costs. But thats just rumour so you can’t trust it either.)
The only thing the EIA will do is confirm that they can’t afford to build it the way it should be built. It will then be built anyway, the other way.
This is the old development trick. Don’t be fooled! The lands bordering this extension will be developed into housing estates before you could say “BoBo”. The developers will make millions and millions and more millions. They can’t wait for any impact studies as it may go againstthem! They just want to add to their millions quickly before you wake up. This has nothing to do with alleviating traffic woes, this has to do with access for developers. The big players in the background. Good luck.
And all those home owners will then pour in to the new road every morning. More traffic channels into the Hurleys bottleneck.
Well Bobo if you look at who is making money from development you will see that British and North Amercans dominate. So please dont say it is greedy Caymanians.
Right, all those landlocked parcels owned by Brits, Americans & Canadians.
South Africans, Swiss, Chinese, Australians, German, Bahamian, Spanish, Qatari, Norwegian to name a few. Most of the above mentioned own large parcels over say 20 acres minimum, mainly in the interior, landlocked regions of ALL three islands. These parcels were bought decades ago with no intention of developing (Maybe until now) with the intent to land bank and sell at a profit in the future. Perfectly legal yes. Are Caymanians the only ones to profit from this massive, greed based social and environmental destruction all 3 islands are facing right now ? NO.
Say what? Bro, Nobody knows how much rich Caymanians have already made with their wheeling and dealing
…..and they are still in the game. The CPA is still in the game,too!
All this crap about “its all about money” is BS from Ex-pat and mostly the UK ones.
This is all about progress and every nation has the right to progress as they see fit.
Go back to where you came from as the only reason your here anyway is for the money! And your blaming Caymanians for wanting the same.
Will it be a house, apartments, or a liquor store on your soon to be unlocked parcel???
Jump up church in a strip mall.
For real. They need to rename Bodden Town to Church Town.
Oh dear, oh deary dear, and I say that as a Caymanian. You must have land along the proposed corridor given your last few words.
Indeed every nation has the right to progress, but within the laws of the land my friend. Otherwise next stop is a disaster.
Whoa you seem like you’d be fun to be around lol. Take a chill pill and ease up on the xenophilic remarks. Excuse me but residents can/have expressed concerns of the lack of care for the environment by the current and pass government representatives.
Say something to me, born and raised here not that that should matter.
Do
Sit down boy. Cayman is not a nation.
Fair enough, progress into being underwater and then watch how many Caymanians be grabbing their UK passport. Honestly the stupidity of people sometimes still amazes.
“You’re here”.
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.
I love the Cayman kind attitude!
Freebie: CIG mandate 2-3 day rotating remote work now for all jobs that can be done so.
I was a recent visitor to your beautiful island. I also participated in the April 22nd clean up. Plastic, stryrofoam, micro plastics and other items in the mangroves need attention.
There is also a huge dump that needs more of your attention than the road. How much land is taken up by the mountain of trash. How much money are you not making because you can’t do anything with that area.
Just my thoughts.
The reality is that this road won’t do much to alleviate traffic at the moment, but unless there is a moratorium on immigration there will be more and more people and there will be no where for them to leave other than in the east.
We need, in order of importance, a viable public transport system, a solution to the Hurleys bottleneck and more roads.
More roads aren’t popular, we all get it. But you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Either no more people or fewer mangroves. You can’t have both.
I choose no more of the kind of people who throw garbage out of their car windows, dump thrash along the byways, dumping their derelict cars on the roadside., people who do not understand the benefits of having mangroves, people who do not understand the climate issues etc. etc.
You might want to consider relocating.
I would but I am afraid I am stuck, can’t afford to move. Oh before I forget I am 5th generation CSymanian.
I don’t understand why there is a debate on this. We either have laws or we don’t. The EIA is required under law and so it must be done. Any government who fails to obey the law in such a willful fashion is not fit to be in power and must be removed.
I’m sensing that you’re new here.
Why don’t we add this to Kenneth Bryan’s referendum?
because, then he can’t pretend he doesn’t know what the public wants and then he might have to actually do something.
WHERE IS THE BUS SERVICE KENNY?
A free trip to Barbados for nothing!
It wouldn’t have been for nothing had he really learned anything from it. Barbados is where we should look for a comparison of education and sustainability standards. Also how to develop whilst maintenance the quintessential Island vibe. They all should look to PM Mottley for an example of true Caribbean leadership and diplomacy.
Do you know how excited people get about parking spots on this island?
Wouldn’t it be easy for Camana Bay (for example) to designate some of the premium parking spots as Carpool only? Same thing goes for Govt Bldg, Walkers, Cricket Square. All of the large employers.
That may be one way to get people to actually car pool to work and get cars off the road.
As if that will stop someone taking that spot, just like they do for handicapped ones
The large company private parking lots have security guards. Definitely wouldn’t work everywhere. But it may work in some places. So worth a try, no? This is a cheap and easy one. Do you have better ideas that are cheap and easy?
Remote work schedules starting with CIG and financial services.
and law firms!
trust me it doesn’t work all that great at Cricket Square now,even with security guards. People who do not work for a particular company will park in that company’s parking spaces because they are too inconsiderate and lazy to walk from their designated parking spots to their office. security really can’t or don’t do much since they don’t know who is who. so designated carpool spots won’t really make a difference because people are selfish and inconsiderate.
Please bring on school buses for the private schools. And get students at public schools actually using the school buses that are already there for them.
I would love to see some real data. Where is every vehicle passing Hurleys headed? We would then have a tally of say – Camana Bay, Govt Admin Bldg, Cricket Square, schools, etc. Then we could use those numbers to put some solutions in place. Express shuttle to Camana Bay from a park and ride lot in Bodden Town for example.
True road will do nothing to alleviate traffic but it’s worth building just to put the NCC and DOE in their place.
I hope you are one of the homes that floods if they do build it. NCC and DOE are only trying to do what’s best and that includes ensuring that flooding doesn’t happen in residential areas.
High and dry in West Bay bobo. Did you even look at the Ivan flood map?
I hear Boggy Sands is nice
It’s really not, overpriced garbage.
Developer troll
Funny how they want to unalive cats but fail to understand that the biggest threat to the native species around here are us HUMANS.
I’m so sick of this rhetoric. Development needs to be designed, thought through and properly planned. The issue with the feral cats is separate and also a valid point that needs to be addressed. It is not a choice of one or the other, both are causing detrimental harm to our biodiversity and environment.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! And too many that we don’t need/want … send them home!!!!!!!!!!!
Build the road every foot of road helps!
In that case, lay down and let them build it on top of you. Every foot helps after all.
Exactly. If they build the road in as a series of tight turns to really squeeze in the tarmac per mile we’ll have lots of place to drive sloooowly on while the traffic in front of us goes through the bottlenecks. Brilliant. Bring on the curviest road in the world. No faster than what it replaces but at least we feel like we’re going somewhere. (And, as a bonus, the road proponents make more money since they are selling us more road.)
CNS you might add a third option to question 4:
Pandering for votes.
I thought this would be one!
Ha!
Wotes, bobo