NRA predicts 57% more traffic at Grand Harbour by 2036
(CNS): The National Roads Authority is predicting that within the next eight years, the traffic at the Grand Harbour Roundabout will have increased by more than 28,000 cars every day, which is a 57% hike in volume. In a proposed road improvement plan examining the corridor between the CUC Roundabout by Kings Sports Centre to the Tomlinson Roundabout in Prospect, the NRA noted a catalogue of problems, such as the current heavy traffic, poorly operating intersections and bad driving on the roundabouts, all of which are set to get far worse as the sheer weight of traffic grows.
As a result, the government authority has developed several proposals for short-term solutions to the relentless congestion at Grand Cayman’s most challenging traffic hotspot. These include redesigning the four roundabouts along the corridor, introducing traffic signals, changing and restricting exits, adding pedestrian crossings and rolling out dedicated direction lanes.
According to the report, CUC Roundabout to Tomlinson Roundabout Corridor Multimodal Improvement Plan, a flyover for the area, which is one of the narrowest points on Grand Cayman and offers little room for manoeuvre, has been ruled out due to “geometric constraints, construction impacts, and costs”.
The study examines each of the roundabouts, considers their current conditions and offers several proposals to improve them. It also assesses the impact the changes are likely to have at each roundabout and the knock-on effect on traffic in the surrounding area. It anticipates the impact of other road projects currently underway or due to start, including the full build-out of the controversial East-West Arterial Road extension and other new roads.
The NRA is seeking public input on the plan and the proposals to allow stakeholders to have their say before the decision is made on which options the authority will recommend to the ministry responsible for roads. Once that decision is made, the NRA will carry out an awareness campaign.
“To implement any of the alternatives discussed in this plan, the NRA will launch a public outreach campaign to educate drivers on changing traffic patterns, including new lane configurations and signal operations. Public outreach will be integral to improve safety and traffic flow throughout the study corridor,” the report stated.
The NRA also noted the need for other policy ideas to address the major traffic problems faced by Grand Cayman’s drivers, as it is clear that building more and more roads is not the solution. The authority said other policy recommendations can be paired with roadway improvements to help alleviate the heavy congestion observed today.
The NRA has suggested locating more employment in Bodden Town and East End, integrating mixed-use spaces that contain residential and commercial land use with transit service and pedestrian facilities, disincentivize car ownership through import regulations or the provision of an attractive public transport system, encourage telecommuting or home-working and improve sidewalks and bike lanes.
See the full report in the CNS Library.
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Category: development, Local News
BUILD A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, PLUS CYCLE LANES.
An April 2024 article in The Times of London (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cyclists-overtake-cars-in-paris-vfzqjj7t8) reported that for journeys within Paris (which is larger than Cayman, and has far worse weather), cycling has overtaken cars, with cars accounting for 4% of journeys, bicycles for 11 per cent, public transport on 30% and other forms on 2 per cent. The most popular way to get from one place to another was walking, which accounted for 53% of journeys.
The data from Paris exemplifies the profound impact that an emphasis on sustainable transport can have on urban mobility. For the Cayman Islands, which also faces challenges related to traffic congestion and environmental sustainability, there are valuable lessons to be learned. In Paris, only 33.5% of households own a car, and a significant portion of the population has shifted towards cycling and public transport. This shift has not only alleviated traffic congestion but also contributed to a more environmentally friendly and healthy lifestyle for residents. Considering the Cayman Islands’ sis e and tourist-centric economy, similar policies could yield even more significant benefits.
Investing in light rail or monorail systems, alongside enhanced cycling infrastructure, could transform the Cayman Islands into a model of efficient and sustainable transportation. A robust public transport system would cater to both residents and tourists, potentially reducing the dependency on cars and, consequently, the islands’ carbon footprint. Encouraging cycling by developing safe, accessible bike lanes would complement this by providing an alternative means of transport that is both eco-friendly and practical for shorter distances.
Moreover, implementing measures to penalise the use of cars, such as congestion charges or higher taxes on car ownership, could incentivise the use of public and non-motorised transport. These steps would not only ease traffic congestion but also contribute to the islands’ allure as a green and pleasant place to live and visit. Ultimately, adopting a Parisian approach to transportation could offer the Cayman Islands a sustainable path forward, enhancing both the quality of life for its residents and its appeal as a tourist destination.
Even Bangladesh has a light rail/monorail system:
‘When fortune favours Mozammel Hossain, it takes him around two hours to reach his office at Uttara’s House Building from his residence at Agargaon in the morning (11 miles, so similar to Bodden Town to Camana Bay). He spends another two hours on the way back in the evening. On the days he has no luck, which happens quite often, his time on the road stretches beyond four hours. …
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the first-ever electric public transport in Dhaka on Wednesday. And she will be the first to ride it. Travellers and commuters like Mozammel will be able to take metro trains from the next day. A metro train is expected to take 20 minutes to reach Uttara’s Diabari from Agargaon, meaning Mozammel will be able to save at least three hours a day.
More than 50 countries across the world provide metro rail services. China alone has 46 metro systems, while the US and India have 15 each. Now Bangladesh is going to join the metro club.
“Now I won’t be reaching the office with a dishevelled look; or returning home in a grumpy mood. I’ll be able to spend more time with my family. This is something we can’t buy with money.”’
https://bdnews24.com/metro-rail/xinc4i0jh1 – December 2022.
Or, for an example of tiny islands (with competent politicians) developing infrastructure, see remarkable the new Faroe Islands (population 55,000) tunnel system: https://youtu.be/EruSZNI4th4
The NRA can’t read their own transport plan from 2015. They think comprehensive urban transport solutions including sidewalks and bicycle lanes are someone else’s job. Clean house.
I honestly think it will take legal action against the government to get a real public transport system in place.
The big news here is that in eight years’ time it’s going to be 2036. Who worked that one out?
hopefully by then i’ll have found a new country to call home that’s properly developed and willing to take foreigners.
Only a fool values a fools opinion. Even if they are getting paid a lot to give it.
It comes down to volume. You can plug a hole at one end, but if at the other end you have increasing volume, this is a loser’s game.
I work at a large accounting firm. Our numbers are going up and up. As are the other accounting firms. And law firms, and administrators, directors, other firms. That means more population, and then more support people, more workers at gyms, restaurants, supermarkets, construction firms, teachers for more students, more doctors, dentists to meet demand etc.
A new 10 story building is going up at Camana Bay. As is a large building downtown on Elgin Ave. Hotel Indigo opening with hundreds of workers. New condos going up for part time residents.
The amount of new condos and townhouses going up east of Hurleys on all of the side roads is remarkable.
Just going to get worse and worse out there.
I rent a condo in West Bay. Brand new and a little in the middle of nowhere. But I like it on balance, and traffic to Camana Bay is not really an issue.
expect a lot of politicians to lose if the traffic problem is not fixed, this is not coming from a Honda fit driver.
Don’t need to spend 5 mill for a review to tell us this.
Roundabouts suck, triple roundabout suck even more.
People are idiots and think their substock 300hp car is a F1 Car and need to floor it everywhere they go.
Yes, 99% of drivers on the road are garbage. Act like an asshole inside the vehicles but in person, it’s another story.
Gov won’t and can’t fix the problem. It’s responsibility problem and people think they can do what ever they want on the road.
I am Caymanian, once dart added that road from Camana bay to alt years ago. Could easily see this is going to be the norm in Cayman.
The largest buildings and apartment complexes on the island have parking for the tenants. It would be nice to see them have dedicated bus stops near to them, so that tenants would be encouraged to take a bus there. Camana Bay does not have a single bus stop anywhere nor does the Foster Supermarket. The NRA should specify bus stops in close proximity to these building when they review the building plans prior to the CPA approval for these buildings.
Dont you think this speaks volume? Our government agencies are dictated by the elected members, to bull doze, pave, build all for the sake of the almighty dollar. Wait and see when CUC start turning the power off at peak times. Betcha they will regret their actions.
This is the same NRA that has for years in their comments to Planning on new developments almost always advised that the impact of expected traffic from proposed developments is expected to be minimal on current traffic!!!
Does anyone know if you can get a Jamaica Drivers Licence in Jamaica without sitting their written and practical Drivers test if you already have a valid Cayman Drivers Licence? That is if you wish to live in Jamaica.
Buddy – The problem is that all communities empty out on the same section of road. Why not?
1. Build a section of Road in the North Sound allowing Newlands and Red Bay to connect behind the Airport.
2. Make Crewe Rd 1 way. There is major hold up when traffic merges from Lindford Pearson HWY into town.
3. Extend the EW Arterial to connect with Norward.
These ca all be done.
LOL, all they have to do is move the GH roundabout to Selkirk Drive, eliminate the one by RBPS and expand the one by Prospect.
We need a long-term plan, not a short-term plan. We don’t need more or wider roads. We need less cars on the road. We need to limit the number of cars permitted per household (similar to Bermuda), create bus stations (not stops) in each district, offer larger public buses (even standing-only options) and force all private schools to use school buses.
If you do that all the well connected politicians and contractors would lose big!
What are you smoking ? Why should I be limited to how many cars I can have? We need to stop allowing people on permit to have cars !! Stop trying to put all these rules on locals/residents. If you are here on a temporary work permit you should not be allowed to purchase a car.
Suck it up buttercup. You want a solution to the problem? thats pretty much it
Light rail is a beautiful thing. Use long skinny trains as opposed to fat wide trains.
Alternative is to eliminate cars for work permit holders.
With this joke of a public transport system?!
Never gonna happen!
Round a bouts give no traffic control. We need normal intersections with smart traffic lights and someone that knows how to program them. Why would we want to re-invent the wheel? This would be cheap and would eliminate the traffic problem for many years.
Roundabouts work everywhere else in the world so they obviously aren’t the issue. Not knowing how to use them correctly is the problem.
Roundabouts are better for average traffic flow and worse than lights for peak flow. Our problem is peak flow.
Anyone that has been parked on a M series motorway waiting for a roundabout to clear during heavy traffic times had experienced this.
https://www.driverknowledgetests.com/resources/which-is-better-roundabouts-or-traffic-lights/#:~:text=Traffic%20lights%20work%20well%20when,is%20not%20confusing%20to%20drivers.&text=Traffic%20lights%20that%20have%20left,signs%20are%20even%20more%20efficient.
They absolutely do not. Check out the roundabout under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Total chaos. But moving and or changing roundabouts really isn’t a solution for the problems here.
Won’t this all be fixed by Elon’s full autonomous self-driving cars at that point?
Kenny’s buses actually
Step 1) Public Transport (properly)
Step 2) Development Plan (properly)
Step 3) Then talk new roads, to fit with the development plan that is designed around public transport.
(Not my idea, read the last two paragraphs of the article. Its what NRA can’t say out loud.)
The stupidity of our government when it comes to the traffic issue is incredible.
Implement a proper public transport system.
Don’t allow Jamaicans to drive here without passing an English-standard test (terrible driving causes traffic as well as accidents).
This week has shown how big an impact the cruise ship schedule has. Monday and Tuesday, no ships and traffic flowing. Today, three ships disembarking during rush hour means absolute gridlock. Putting two pedestrian crossings within 10m of each other onto cardinal avenue was not the smartest idea. If government cared about quality of life for us at all they would only allow ships to disembark after 9am
Perhaps and overhead walkway to cross the road in town is would work. Saw something similar in Aruba.
So pretty boy can park his ugly truck under it?
As a <30 Caymanian "pretty boy" that just bought a brand new 2024 truck with my own money, not my parents or gov, what did I ever do to you lmao
“If government cared about quality of life” this is exactly correct! The quality of life we all once shared has been taken away. What seems like simple fixes are forever ignored.
As one who lives in South Sound it can take an hour on cruise days to get to town via South Church Street. I feel for those who are in it from further East.
All the single car student drop of is an obvious issue. Cruise passengers clogging the street during rush hour is mind numbing.
Do better for us all!!
Not only that but far too many pedestrian crossings!!!!
The 2 at Cassanovas make zero sense!
A flyover is the most likely solution. Not cheap though.
Build more roads for more cars. Anyone seeing the problem here? its not the amount of people, nor the amount of homes, nor the amount of roads. its the amount of vehicles on the roads at the same times 5 days per week, once in the morning (5:30-9amish) and then in the evening (4:15-6:45pm ish)
No flyover, no flooded underpass, no extra lane, no widening of the roads, none of it will prevent the traffic jams nor improve traffic times because none of it reduces the amount of vehicles in those 2 timezones, 5 days per week. The bottle necks will either simply relocate to earlier or later in the line, OR they’ll be filled back up with all the new cars.
the only way to reduce it is to minimize vehicle use. It can be done by relocating ALL of CIG and Schools to the East – that’s never happening.
Or it can be done by limiting car use.
its that simple. How its limited? We could do a trial where we limit vehicles to odd and even license numbers…e.g. this week its M-W-F you are on the road if your licence begins with an odd number, etc.
Its a thought. A base of a plan. Needs tweaking around the edges. But nothing else will work if you dont reduce the cars and increase the occupancy of those on the road.
Obviously improving public transport – make it free, 24/7 – in tandem will help.
Dont reduce the vehicle usage, you’re never ever ever ever solving this issue. Build as many roads as you want
Horrible plan! Stop trying to reinvent the wheel! First thing is PUBLIC TRANSPORTAION, followed by stricter licensing laws so that persons who do not know how to drive can be taken off the roads. Higher licensing fees for older vehicles, and mandating school buses for private schools.
The alternate days of the week idea ends with even more cars as all those that can afford it buy 2. And how would yu enforce it? Police struggle to enforce the basics such as licences, tax and registration. And if they cant install licence plate recognition cameras or scanners to deal with speeding, that’s not a solution either. Whereas proper bus system, with decent ac, a reliable timetable and drivers who don’t think they are in training for F1 or a demolition derby would massively reduce car usage. Can for the life of me understand why it hasnt been implemented since it would have all those other spin off benefits that politicians like, such as creating an additional group of public employees and all the opportunities that would go along with the procurement process!
The police struggle to use their own indicators.
1. Charge annual road tax per vehicle
2. Charge a prime time road usage fee for GT up to Camana Bay – akin to a congestion charge. Or charge an electronic toll fee for prime time road usage.
3. Increase fines for speeding, DUI, phone usage while driving etc
3. Limit WP holders to one vehicle.
Take the money and invest in public transport and designate public transport lanes on roads.
1. Public Transportation System
1. a very efficient public transport system.
I read this as “how can I force other drivers to not drive,” which will ultimately lead to policies that will be less effective. Try a perspective of “what would it take for me to be happy not to be driving my own car?”
I think the change in viewpoint will lead to better policy formulation and higher uptake/effectiveness.
“designate public transport lanes on roads” We have them already. They are called turn lanes in most countries.
They’re called cut in lanes here (at least that’s what our drivers would use them for).
1. There is already an annual licence fee for vehicles\
2. How would they charge for it – apparently they cant even use the licence plate recognition system to track cars
3. Increasing fines only works if you catch people, which seems to be limited, and in any case hasnt been much of a success in stopping speeding, DUI or phone usage – to say nothing of the fact that it does zero to address cars stuck in traffic jams
3. (think you meant 4) Explain how the WP holder is currently driving more than one vehicle at a time and I’ll understand how stopping them having 2 will reduce the cars in rush hour.
I predict that by 2036 Cayman population would use boats. All roads will be permanently under water.
Yes and these new structures we keep building will also have made the island sink.
A marine geologist you are not.
Dream solution to the problem:
Ideally a 1 car or 2 cars per household limit, but even if that doesn’t happen, the rest should still work.
A serious increase of the road tax to reduce the number of people buying cars.
30-seat public buses.
A bus station near Countryside Shopping Village with a multi-story parking garage.
An app for the public buses, with real time location tracking and the ability to buy bus tickets on the app.
Different types of passes (daily, weekly, monthly, student)
School buses for the private schools. No more sending 300 helpers a day to take kids to school.
Limiting the number of vehicles per household doesn’t matter, because one person can only drive one car at a time.
The solution to the disaster that is our road infrastructure is not something that the NRA should deal with. It is something that our immigration and vehicle ownership policies should rectify.
Immigration policy should rectify infrastructure deficiencies????? WOW!
With all of the development for non-residents that is happening, why not charge developers an infrastructure fee of $500 or $1000 per sq ft for every such development to pay for infrastructure that such development requires. The rest of us should not be expected to pay for developers and their tame politicians to get rich.
so gig just gets more money to waste?????
you are stupid.
Maybe you should elect more educated, ethical Ministers. Funny how you blame everyone other than yourself – take responsibility for what you have allowed to happen. Developers develop; that is what they have told everyone they will do. Your Ministers are supposed to fix problems and develop long-term solutions – they are the ones who are not doing their job. Oh, and they get elected by YOU!
Any suggestion that we should pay millions of dollars to build more road infrastructure to accommodate more development that is not in the interests of Caymanians is ludicrous.
Raise the cost for non-Caymanians obtaining an initial Cayman driving permit to $10,000 – the problem would sort itself out in short order.
Followed by one of having no means to get the vast majority of the 37000 permit holders to work, and the consequent impact on all the businesses that depend on expat labour.
Yup. Restrict (illegally probably) permit holders and the Cayman economy will be crushed – Caymanians cannot fill the void with education, experience or shear numbers (I won’t mention work ethics).
If people on work permits of 2 years or less were prohibited from driving, the current traffic nightmare would largely disappear.
So would the people.
That is the point
Good – what are we waiting for?
i call that a win win!
Great idea. That would also help all the hotels shut down and kill the tourism sector.
2 wins then
Why not just ban work permits altogether. That would also eliminate the traffic congestion. Economy would collapse, but hey, you cant have everything. SMH.
Yes, traffic would go away, as would the Cayman economy, and the cash cow to pay for all the CIG employees. Mass panic as the Gov’t could not pay for all those undereducated Caymanians to sit and watch the expats that do the work and pay for their salaries. Hmnnn, I’d actually like to see that. Maybe then things will get corrected.
Why do we have to pay in money and disruption to our lives so that politicians can sell duty and other concessions to developers who import poverty to our country? We need a new policy that will only permit environmentally sound development that pays for any requisite infrastructure and that benefits the local population rather than overseas investors.
This is yet another indicator of the out of control development that has been facilitated by developer owned politicians and their cronies.
And yet their big idea to reduce traffic is to build another lane to the Grand Harbor roundabout. Everywhere else this would be a sick joke. In Cayman it’s a way of life.
Some stupid orange plastic posts placating the idiots who can’t drive should do the trick.
I take it 2036 means six minutes after 8:30 tonight?
Another public entity “seeking public input” on logical decisions few of which were made, some of which were good and many which remain as recommendations gathering dust somewhere. They have engineers, traffic planners, computers, etc. but don’t have what it takes to focus on the real problem…lack of a functioning public transportation system!
That’s the root and still only lip service from Govt! Almost everone who needs to work needs a car. People (often WP holders) need to get to/fro in hours well before dawn and late at night, etc, etc. So in short order a person has a driver’s licence and gets a car. Can’t blame the car buyers ir sellers, give people other reliable options to owning a vehicle…..good public transportation.
Why can’t NRA just tell their boss in Cabinet to just get on with it?! Public input indeed!
BTW has Minister Jay published a statement on the matter since assuming responsibility?
“ the Grand Harbour Roundabout will have increased by more than 28,000 cars every day”
Uhh what?
No doubt 80% of the 57% will be semi-derelict vehicles driven by people in high viz gear going 70 miles an hour while weaving in and out of traffic heading to work at oversized environment destroying high rise developments that no Caymanian can afford.
Please for the love of god and all things holy, CIG and NRA do not screw up grand harbor.
Between the multifamily and single family homes on Bimini drive, through the shopping center, to harbor walk and edge water way we have one of the ONLY walkable neighborhoods in the whole country with everything someone could need.
Groceries, pharmacy, restaurants and bars…places for kids to ride bikes etc.
There’s nowhere else that ticks those boxes unless you want to sell a kidney to live in Camana bay.
Build the damn flyover and be done with it. Cost and geometric constraints are BS excuses.
Also bear in mind that nothing matters if you don’t fix the bottleneck down stream. Anyone else notice that the giant new roundabout by the horse stables has cut commuting time by exactly zero seconds? Because the four way light is still the bottleneck.
this what you are voting for Cayman – Wake up! force their hand by asking the tough questions before you put pen to paper. This madness has got to stop
bad driving on the roundabouts, all of which are set to get far worse
Why?
All this cost and expense because this counrty can no longer say NO Residency to the imported poverty we have grown addicted to in the form of Cheap Imported Labour.
Eight years from now we will have more than Saunders representing them in the Parliament. You can cuss me all you want… its the new reality!!!
While ignoring the fact that there is a few hundred unemployable teen voters from your failed education system dumped into the mix every year with no end in sight. Everyone else you mentioned works and is responsible for their lives. These dimwitted fools are too stupid to work the good jobs and too proud to work at the many jobs that are taken up by the so called cheap Imported labor.
So what about a flyover with roundabout below, or underpass with roundabout above, works in Jersey. It’s been there for years, they also have an incinerator and they easily copes with all their trash. Why is Cayman so far behind other islands with similar size and economy?
Below sea level
I’m not a geologist, but I’m guessing that underpass ain’t gonna be an option.
It’s possible. It would involve putting in a waterproof tunnel. Also, the fill removed for the tunnel would have to be trucked away. Do you see any Minister’s eyes spinning now?
Look at who we elect as our leaders and you have your answer.
Public transportation
A real one and not a bunch of mini-van wannabe’s who are paid by fares and will run you off the road to get that extra person on board or to get to town quick. Also one that doesn’t abandon town after 5:30 to wait at the “Eastern Avenue” terminal because they cater to thier own.
Real buses with drivers paid a salary by government so they are not dependant on how many passenegrs they can squeeze in the vehicle, strict time tables, GPS and vehicle governors to monitor speed and location and most of all… ACCOUNTABILITY!
Ahh – accountability. As common on Cayman as snowmen.
But, but…
what about this : Bryan plans to ‘transform’ public transport
Cayman News | 11/05/2021 |
“ Kenneth Bryan, the new minister of tourism and transport, has committed [‼️]to making the necessary legislative changes to transform public transport in the Cayman Islands. ”
Cayman looks to partner with Barbados on creation of local public bus system
Compass, June 20, 2021
“ Tourism and Transport Minister Kenneth Bryan is teaming up [‼️] with his Barbados counterpart for the creation of a national public bus system in a bid to alleviate Cayman’s traffic congestion woes.”
“ Though in the preliminary discussion stage, Bryan has set his sights on a January 2024 start date and is working [‼️] with Santia Bradshaw, Barbados’ Minister for Transport, Works and Water Resources to look at making a bus network happen.”
Does this mean that everything he had said and allegedly started doing were lies?
All the guy did was get free travel and rack up his frequent flyer miles. Remember he could not go to the states.
What a mess, do a damn bridge from behind Grand Harbour to West Bay and this will cut the traffic by half or more!
Everyone going WB/7MB/CB etc can go that way, the others going Town continue on!
Plus we would finally be able to use the expression “go jump off a bridge!”.
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.
there is no-one in cig/nra/civil service with expertise or qualifications to tackle the traffic crisis
civil service is filled with poorly educated people with zero ability to tackle these issues.
if we can’t be honest and face these facts we will never be closer to a solution.
thats where we put the unemployables mentioned on other articles.
pedestrian crossings??????….they have messed up traffic on smb and in gt x 10
The last paragraph is the answer in plain sight and probably the most cost effective, but as with most things this will be politicised with no results. It is what governments do best, serve four years, leave a mess while they retire on fat pensions. Politicians DO NOT work for the people.
Remove the roundabouts, make them into spur-dike u-turns, cordon off properly spaced merging lane… analyze this Panama Highway from an example: 8.969829739800785, -79.53042349219567 – copy/paste this coordinates into any web browser. Hope someone from the NRA see this…
Resolve the traffic crisis with this simple change, no traffic lights, no fly overs.. all a flat road
Roundabouts are a huge problem! It seems like that is all NRA knows! Not even the police know how to use them properly.
Probably 50% of the population drive to an office and sit at a computer all day. We need to wake up and either build a very expensive infrastructure to accommodate this or work from home more.
Agree. The simplest and least minimal cost is more remote work but this makes too much sense so it will never happen.
Flyover or standstill traffic.
Pass the rum.