Traffic relief measures set for school reopening

A new traffic management plan aimed at easing road congestion has been presented to Cabinet as the government prepares for increased traffic with the start of the new school year.

Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey said the plan includes short-, medium- and long-term recommendations to improve traffic flow, roads and public transport.

Humphrey was speaking on Friday alongside Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman following a meeting of senior police, education and transport officials.

He said the government was taking steps to make morning commutes smoother as school travel adds pressure to the island’s roads.

“By the end of this month, we’ll be going back to the public to have a final engagement, which is what I promised in relation to being able to manage traffic,” he said.

Humphrey acknowledged that it is not possible to avoid all traffic jams given the high volume of vehicles on the island. However, he emphasised that working together with other agencies will help reduce bottlenecks.

“Come Monday, we will be doing all that we can do to be able to mitigate traffic, but I do not want to [give] any false impression that we will be able to prevent traffic. The truth is that there are 181 000 cars on the roads of Barbados,” he noted. “We are doing what we can do to be able to make the roads as smooth as possible.”

To manage busy areas, the MTW and the police will deploy extra officers to places with the most traffic, particularly near major junctions and schools. Traffic wardens will be moved to priority spots, supported by police officers helping to keep traffic moving.

“We know that we have to keep certain junctions clear. It’s going to be difficult, but we have to be able to keep certain junctions clear, and a few come to mind – Warrens, Combermere…,” Humphrey said. 

Digital infrastructure updates are already underway to improve flow. 

“We’ve already started working to improve the traffic signals…. You will be able to see the lights that are able to read, using cameras, read the traffic and respond…,” the minister said. “It’s a computerisation that allows us to make wise decisions in relation to traffic going forward.”

Contractors working on major road projects have been instructed to minimise heavy work during peak travel hours to keep key routes open. 

“We ask the contractors to do a lot of the road works during the evening hours and into the night so as to be able to minimise those issues,” Humphrey added.

One of the ministry’s main long-term goals is to start a dedicated and well-regulated school bus service. This would help reduce the number of parents driving their children to school. 

Humphrey said that a request for proposals will soon be released to find private partners for the programme, which will include better safety rules, trained staff and cameras on the buses.

“The issue with a dedicated bus service must be that once the children are on that bus, they know the persons who are driving and transporting them will keep their children safe,” he said. “The dedicated school bus service that we are proposing is one where we will source the vehicles ourselves and manage it with a private partner.”

Humphrey said that while the service will be optional, the goal is to make it so reliable and safe that families will choose public transport instead of driving their own cars.

In addition to transport arrangements, the meeting also discussed broader school readiness programmes, including infrastructure upgrades and a new public school breakfast programme. Officials called on parents and road users to exercise patience, obey traffic warden instructions and plan journeys early as the school term begins. 

Education Transformation Minister Chad Blackman promised to update the country on traffic management near schools “so that parents, teachers and everybody can have a level of understanding as to where to go, what to expect, and some of the things that can help to mitigate what is taking place.”

Meanwhile Assistant Commissioner of Police John Boyce, who spoke alongside other officials, urged the public to cooperate with traffic wardens and officers, emphasising that compliance with these instructions is essential for maintaining traffic flow as schools reopen.

(RR)