Bad planning raises Carnival risks

That great calypsonian, the late Lord Kitchener, sang the classic which will live on into immortality ‘The Carnival is over” while Iwer sings “Carnival come again” — and true it will come again next year as the country celebrates Carnival as an integral part of our culture. Without having the benefit of any empirical evidence on the week leading up to Carnival, one got the impression that there were many more motor vehicles on the road resulting from the influx of visitors and returning residents which added to the woes of motorists who face the congested roadways on a daily basis. Now that Carnival is over — but will surely come again — we would do well to learn from the lessons of this past Carnival. Some persons might take the view that Carnival is bacchanal and organised chaos and anything goes; as a consequence, the resulting inconveniences and discomforts are all part of the culture without which it is not Carnival.

The subject of insurance teaches you that for every action there is a reaction and every aspect of life carries risks, and both insurance and risk minimisation are important elements in managing these risks. Just as there can be no new life without labour pains there can be no growth and expansion of Carnival without increased risks, and the trick is to find that balance where development takes place within acceptable levels of discomfort and inconvenience to the wider population. The country now has over 40 years of independence and almost 30 years of republicanism and while this is viewed as relatively short in the life of nations we must begin the process now to address the perennial problems associated with Carnival. We have been lucky so far but our luck can run out. It is therefore in this context that all those associated with the Carnival must begin to adopt common sense approaches in dealing with risks in a proactive way rather than wait for a disaster to happen before taking corrective action.

Every year we have the problem of overcrowding at the North Stand at Panorama and the concern over the integrity of the structure. While it is true that engineers will design for load bearing in stands whether sitting or standing (usually all-seater for safety reasons) the time has come to treat with the phenomenon of patrons with coolers jumping and dancing in these temporary stands and to ensure that there are safe crowd limits. Surely this is not beyond our engineers and, in particular, the management of the event and we must hold them both criminally and civilly responsible if there is an accident. This is the way that it is done internationally and we must hold our people to the same standard, as this is the only way forward if we want to achieve the vision of developed country status by 2020.

The issue of traffic control and management is enough to cause road rage and violent conduct. It would appear that the police are patting themselves on the back for the reduction in the number of road deaths as well as the number of charges proffered against errant motorists during Carnival. Nothing is wrong with that as any successes no matter how small are worthy of celebration, but indeed this is the small picture and to progress we must look at the big picture otherwise we would continue to focus on the wrong things that affect the citizenry. The traffic in and out of Port-of-Spain in the week leading up to Carnival was horrendous, and it seemed that the Police had no interest in dealing with such a trivial matter as keeping the traffic flowing. All the organisers were interested in putting on shows on the streets without any plans for alternative routes and there was no effective communication so that motorists could avoid the congestion.

It is well known that the traffic is very bad as there are too many vehicles on the road, but the secret is accepting that fact and taking steps to handle the traffic while new roads are built or a mass transit system is put in place over the next ten years or so. The problem is immediate, and to the visitor and discerning public visible and concrete strategies must be on display to signal that something is being done to inspire confidence, otherwise we would want to believe that we simply do not have the intellectual capacity to find solutions. There appears to be no planning at all. Block the streets, forget other road users because it is Carnival. Clearly there must be people who would be responsible for giving approval and they must be accountable for ensuring that there are plans to deal with such a simple inconvenience. It must not take an hour to crawl in the traffic for a few blocks when some simple planning and, most importantly, police who understand traffic, may deal with the situation effectively.

The crowning disrespect for the citizenry was Saturday when traffic was made two-way around the Savannah from Hilton to the St Clair roundabout. The two policemen — one at each roundabout — did not have a clue how to manage the traffic and there were no senior officers who could come to their assistance. I spent almost 45 minutes travelling from Whitehall to the Hilton Roundabout, but worse the traffic was backed up on the Lady Young Road for miles trying to get through this traffic. My visitors simply could not believe the traffic situation!! Carnival and fetes are about use and overuse of alcohol but we do not seem ready to implement the “breathalyser” which is only a first step to instil discipline in the society.

Do the drink manufacturers and distributors have a greater lobby than the mass of ordinary citizens who want a return to law and order? We are now tired of promises of the introduction of the breathalyser and it was commendable that certain corporate citizens were at the forefront of sensitising the public about drinking under the influence after certain public fetes. More has to be done and the politicians must be held accountable for the delay. Alcohol and driving do not mix. We have time to take corrective measures before “Carnival come again.” We must not repeat the experiences of the past. Nothing less is expected. E-mail: daquing@cable-nett.net