Minister offers little progress on transport policy
(CNS): With about eight months to go before the general election campaign formally begins in the Cayman Islands next year and parliament is prorogued, Minister Jay Ebanks had little to offer on the progress his ministry has made over the last three years when he was questioned on its public transport policy in parliament last week. Ebanks claimed the ministry had developed a comprehensive green paper for the plan but shared very few details of it with his legislative colleagues.
Answering Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart’s parliamentary questions, Ebanks said Cabinet had approved some short-term measures to improve public transport, including improving information on bus schedules and enhancing the reliability of the system. Cabinet has also approved a pilot programme for new services in the Eastern Districts and a taxi booking app, though he did not explain how changes to Cayman’s expensive taxi provisions would help those using public transport.
Outlining very vague proposals for long-term plans, the minister said the government would introduce three key strategic routes, buy new buses and develop the infrastructure to support them, and transition to a ticketing model.
Responding to McTaggart’s question about the progress on the promised public transport plan, Ebanks said the ministry was in the process of implementing some of the new measures, though he gave no details on what those were or when residents could expect to notice a difference. He elaborated only slightly on the ticketing system, which he said would introduce electronic payment so that bus and taxi drivers would not need to carry cash.
Meanwhile, addressing McTaggart’s question about the implementation of road safety measures relating to the notorious stretch of Shamrock Road in the Spotts area, Ebanks said it was a long-standing concern. Some measures, such as improved lighting, using cat’s eyes (reflective markers), and clearing roadsides to facility police speed traps, had been put in place, and some others were going to be rolled out, such as speed monitors.
However, he said that no decision had been made to reduce the speed limit along this stretch of road that has claimed many lives, which local residents have urged the government to do. Ebanks said he believed the National Roads Authority, which he controls, and the Road Safety Committee, which is part of his ministry, were waiting for the East-West Arterial Road extension to be built out towards Lower Valley to lessen the traffic load on the stretch before the speed limit is reduced.
Ebanks said he was aware that the community wanted that, but a road connector to Agricola Drive was needed first, and the roadworks in that area were underway.
Meanwhile, a private member’s motion brought by McKeeva Bush asking the government to tackle the increasing dangers and terrible driving on local roads was accepted, even though Ebanks had claimed that the Road Safety Committee had implemented various initiatives. The minister said he would sit down with Bush and look at some of his suggestions to enhance road safety, which included reduced speed limits, increased fines and digital speed cameras that can issue tickets.
The government is losing yet another opportunity to enhance public transport and get people out of their cars to make the roads safer. In one of his many speeches last week, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan announced plans to invest in more parking at the airport car parks for local residents leaving the island instead of introducing an airport bus service.
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Category: Business, Local News, Politics, Transport
One of the signs of a country/civilization in decline: it can’t do anything right anymore.
As usual this minister Jay Ebanks cannot provide a straight answer to anything. The bus transport section was taken from Kenneth Bryan (as he was not able to get anything done) and given to Jay which will also fail and only limit himself to pure talk and BS.
All Ministers should be graded on their performance ahead of the election campaigns.
WTF has this man been doing for the last 3 years?!
Disgraceful – he needs to be removed immediately.
cig does not do accountability resignations or sackings
welcome to wonderland
Supporting the local economy by acquiring (not sure how) multiple new flash vehicles?
Fix the dam dump!!!
Ah CIG. Always trying to do everything the Jamaican way. And expecting to get something else.
everybody have the answers when they’re campaigning, but magically can’t get it done once in office.
The biggest voting bloc after CIG are the Jamaican status grants. Simple as that.
There are 10k Jamaicans with voting rights. They are 33% of the voting population. Caymanians ( as in those that can run for politics) account for less than 30% now. What you have seen over the previous 50 years is a systematic replacement of caymanians with status holders. Not a problem in itself, until you realise that there are 15k caymanians that are Filipino and Jamaican. You have 1 generation left before you’re all fucked.
Simple as that. This is the consequence of mass immigration from a single nationality. They take you over.
How long before we see posters for dancehall nights plastered outside CIG?
There will never be a public bus system because taxi and bus drivers don’t want it
lowering the speed limit isn’t the solution. These fatal accidents happen late at night when there’s no traffic because of very excessive speed these foolish drivers are travelling at. this road just needs to be properly policed at night and especially on the weekends.
I’m sorry, but it is. Shamrock Road is ridiculous 24/7. I’m a resident at Ocean Club, and have seen terrible driving at every hour of the day. The crashes are just worse at night.
oh boy. This joker needs to go.
They’ve done nothing to improve public transport! Why? The “professionals” managing the Public Transport Dept. are morons, as are the people they report to!!
It is a disgrace that our elected politicians fail to deliver on a listbof essential matters.
waste management
public transport
education
cost of living
insurance costs
petrol prices
and so much more.
Their salaries should be reduced to a minimum and then they can earn a bonus on each item they deliver results.
Why a bonus for a job they are supposed to be doing with than enough salary and benefits. Kiddy land stuff, bag of sweeties.
So they want to decrease the speed limits on the 3 lane highways? If anything they should be increased and policed properly you complete muppets. Stop voting these morons in Cayman!
another shameful day(if they felt shame) for this sorry excuse of an administration.
direct rule for 2 years while a new raft of political candidates are selected/vetted based on qualifications, experience and integrity. then we have new elections.
time for class action lawsuit against the incompetence of the civil service and cig.
laughable if it was not so serious.
caymanians elect these people so you have no-one else to blame but yourselves.
and to make things worse, you also prevent the most qualified and successful people on island from being elected…
welcome to wonderland.
Do minsters talk to each other? Some want a lowering of speed limits and KB wants a new port at Breakers. Those living at Rum Point are recommended to keep a tent and sleeping bags in their cars to overnight on their way in the George Town.
probably the biggest quality of life issue facing poeple on cayman and we get this after 3 years???? shambolic on every level.
any comment mrs governor?
I’ll let you in on the secret. Those most impacted are Caymanian. Hence the lack of urgency.
Now it’s started to impact the politicians and their newly granted Jamaican status voting bloc you’ll start seeing it ramp up. Jamaicans talk.
Promise you.
Wasn’t Kenny supposed to have fixed things already?
When the Cayman Airways flight to Barbados stops, Kenny will have completed his review of the Barbados bus service.
Next stop Bermuda.
There is a Public Transport Bill which had gone nowhere, notwithstanding the employment of two consultants and consultation trips abroad.
Nothing will change until the East-west arterial road is completed into East End. Anyone who needs to go to work or drop off children would know that. driving slower will only frustrate more drivers to go faster. That is not an excuse it’s just human nature.
No civilization in history has ever been able to build itself out of a traffic problem. If building more roads solved traffic, then LA would be the fastest city on the planet.
Mass transport was, is and will always be the only viable solution.
All roads meet at Hurleys and anyone who lives EE who has any sense knows that Hurleys needs a proper fix before the EW Arterial can be completed, otherwise Hurleys and the daily commute will only get much worse .
in 2022 they were partnering with Barbados. WHAT HAPPENED?
In 2024 they are partnering with Bermuda. IS IT REALLY HAPPENING?
The party of “we accomplished nothing, but put us in next time and we will do it then!”
Not that it makes it right for the terrible UPM to do it, but which party hasn’t been that way? PPM did nothing for 8 straight years and people still voted some of those greedy jackasses back in.