The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

EVIDENTLY, the present Davis-led administration is moving full speed ahead with turning Gladstone Road into a dual carriageway, a project initially proposed by the former Minnis-led administration. No one can reasonably deny that New Providence has a traffic problem, so this road reconstruction project is welcome news.

But while the government’s intent is commendable, logic dictates that a dual carriageway in and of itself would not ease the flow of traffic on Gladstone Road. We will end up with a similar situation which presently exists on East Street, on Blue Hill Road, and on Milo Butler Highway, where dual lanes of traffic are backed up, inching their way north-bound towards Tonique Williams Darling roundabouts. The only conceivable change on Gladstone Road would be from a single lane of backed up traffic to a double lane of backed up traffic. Nothing will change. Road improvement notwithstanding, it would still be difficult for motorists to enter the (JFK) thoroughfare from Gladstone Road, because of the steady stream of traffic heading westbound towards the airport. It seems obvious - to me at least - that the problem is at the roundabout.

No one wants to mention the elephant in the room, which is the dreaded overpass. Unsurprisingly, this concept seems not to be on any government’s priority list, past or present. But an overpass at this junction seems to be the most practical solution to this vexing problem. In my opinion, we are trying to postpone the inevitable. Meanwhile, more vehicles are added to our already crowded streets daily, and motorists languish in their vehicles sometimes for hours as frustrations mounts.

There is a view that overpasses are expensive, and that they detract from our indigenous looks. But do you think that an overpass at this intersection would cost as much as our new baseball stadium, which bears the fingerprints of both administrations? I think not. By the way, does anyone know the price tag of the new stadium? Secondly, we cannot maintain our indigenous Bahamian looks in every instance, and expect our country to grow and develop. There must be a give-and-take. We will end up with a new and impressive roadway, having all the bells and whistles, but with traffic at a standstill as is now the case, unless something changes at that roundabout. Respectfully, creating an additional four or five roundabouts of simply replacing a smaller roundabout with a larger one will not create a smooth flow of traffic. Millions of tax-payers dollars would have been spent without moving the needle in one direction or another. The more things change, the more they remain the same (unknown). The government could construct that overpass now, or wait another five to ten years, in which time the cost would probably double. Think about it.

As a side note, good luck with that busing system that was talked about for more than twenty years, which no government was able to successfully implement. Realistically though, how many Bahamians do you know would deny themselves the freedom, privacy, or comfort they experience while driving their private vehicles, and choose to ride a public bus instead? How many?

ZEPHANIAH BURROWS

Nassau,

December 20 2023.