‘He always against rapid rail’

Also, that morning, I received an e-mail from DLF, who says: “After reading your well written article, two things are clear to me:

(1) You probably never travelled at peak times along the east/west corridor (and I do mean for a considerable number of years) and;

(2) You have never experienced the pain of “City Gate” at peak times. While your alternatives are good ones, I don’t find some of them to be realistic, especially when it comes to Trinibagonian culture. Please leave the rapid rail idea alone, some of us who experience the hardship of travelling daily welcome it as a viable option.” My immediate response to DLF was as follows: “May I ask you the following?

(1) Do you know what you are likely to be getting with the rapid rail? Has anybody consulted with you publicly or privately on the deliverables?

(2) Are you satisfied that the City Gate problems and east west corridor travel times will be solved with the rapid rail? If so, how?

(3) Some of the suggestions that I have proposed over the years have been viewed as not realistic, especially when it comes to ‘Trinibagonian’ Culture? Would you please elaborate?”

In favour of rail

DLF’s prompt engagement was: “Firstly, with regard to public or private consultation, to my knowledge, I am not aware of such. My research has been limited to the developed countries such as Germany, UK, Austria, New Zealand and the United States, where it thus far seems successful.

Secondly, I do feel that the rapid rail can be beneficial to the east/west corridor and City Gate system in the following ways:

(a) Less crowded highways and main roads to a moderate extent.

(b) Less congestion at peak times (since commuters are at the mercy of maxi taxi operators who make short stops); the rapid rail can take more commuters at peak times at a faster rate, while maxi taxis make off- route trips.

(c)Thirdly, while I applaud the alternatives you suggested, it may be faster to implement the Rapid Rail system than to implement, for example, the option of preferential treatment for buses, maxis and taxis etc. (Note: it took so long for the interchange at Nestle to begin constructing). It also takes a long time to change behaviour in Trinidadians to work with change.

Feasibility madness

Next, I received an e-mail from RCK: “You have now started to write in the tone that you need to! We do indeed need knowledgeable professionals to tell these self interests to stop the rail project immediately. I don’t think God would have spent half as much to determine the feasibility of creating the whole universe! It is madness to spend one billion on a feasibility study.

Today, I would like to review what I have said on the rapid rail project over the years.

I wrote the following in March 2006. “Some people have been asking me why I am attacking the ‘Imbert speed-train.’ That has never been my intention. It is simply that information from the decision makers has not been presented and the Government is about to make this substantial public investment… We still do not have any management of public transport in this country. No administration has ever taken the time to articulate and accept a defined transport policy or introduce an authority for public transportation… I am not against rail, and in fact, I suspect that a tram-type light rail may work well on the following route: northbound on Frederick Street, clockwise around the Queen’s Park Savannah, southbound on Henry Street, westbound on South Quay, and back up Broadway to Frederick Street. There may be a big tourist use, and not only foreign, but also local tourists exploring its adventure and sight-seeing, particularly on weekends and public holidays. That would certainly assist in bringing life to the city after hours.

“The light rail will also have a convenient transfer from / to City Gate, as well as suitable connections with other taxis and maxi-taxi stands. There perhaps may also be an opportunity for a tram-type light rail for High Street in San Fernando, a la San Francisco, USA. But have these been considered?

“...Our commuters have problems now that cannot wait for years. Further, I have already argued that the rapid rail cannot connect all communities and up to now most still do not have access to regular, dependable public transport, and public transport is made increasingly more difficult by the traffic congestion caused by an extremely high automobile-driven population.

Therefore why jump to such a high level of sophistication and technology when you have not corrected the fundamentals?”

Missing efficiency

In another article in April 2006, I said: “What if the Government were to give the same priority and requirements for exclusive ROW or busways for a well-developed bus rapid transit, including elevated crossings at intersections, and a well-administered and technology supported public transport authority, wouldn’t the nation be able to have the appropriate level of transit efficiency, satisfaction and attractiveness within a very small fraction of the cost and time to implement a completely new system as rapid rail?”

Then in March 2007, I stated : “I believe that the next generation of transit for TT should be a privately operated system through a system of competitively tendered concessions which can provide the right set of incentives for profit and customer service.

“Taxis and maxi-taxis currently occupy terminals and stands that have out-grown the capability of holding the numbers required, resulting in spill-over.

“This cannot be sustained, and in many cases utilise valuable on-street parking space. Any plan for public transport must provide off-street facilities in a reorganised fashion.”

I concluded in October 2007: “If increased public transport development is the way to proceed, and I believe it is, then it is very important that the investment in such systems is made in a rational way.

“There is need for sensible selection and funding of technology and assessment of alternate transport systems to determine which is most feasible in economical, social, environmental and sustainability terms.”