-Mr. Paul Bachan Whether it is the bumper to bumper traffic, the lack of an overarching public transit network, or the thriving non-compliant private hired (PH) vehicles - there are issues in Trinidad & Tobago’s transportation system. Actions are required to address these complex issues. Actions to: - Improve safety for transit users, pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles - Improve reliability of transit service - Improve accessibility for all users alike - Reduce greenhouse gas emissions - Reduce the need for personal vehicle ownership - Improve integrated public land use - Create a user-friendly service for locals and foreigners - Improve the quality of life for all To address these actions, there must be a plan. Trinidad & Tobago has not been governed by an approved National Transportation Plan in over thirty (30) years. And that does not mean the previous plan was adequate. The original National Transportation Plan (NTP) was created in 1967 with a lifespan of 20 years. In layman's terms, the primary focus of the plan was to cumulatively increase the bus fleet on a yearly basis over the lifespan. However, the 1967 NTP lacked a phasing plan to justify this expansion and there was no overarching public transit network. Other prevalent issues with this plan was a lack of connectivity with land-use and transportation planning. Although there have been attempts to update to the plan, such as the National Internal Transportation Policy (1988), the attempted update in 1996 and most recently the rejected 2005 Comprehensive National Transportation Study (CNTS), T&T is currently not governed by an approved transportation plan. There are issues in Trinidad & Tobago’s transportation system. Fortunately, in recent years we have seen the horizon of a potential turning point on this issue. In 2019 the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) created a 5-year Strategic Plan in line with fulfilling the goals of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago’s Vision 2030 (c. 2016): - Goal #1 within the Strategic Plan – Provide a safe, integrated and sustainable multi-modal transport system that contributes to the socio-economic growth and development of T&T. o Subgoal #1.1.6 – Develop a National Transportation Plan and Policy. MOWT has projected to have the award of the consulting assignment for the NTP by the end of 2020, pending Cabinet approval, and completion in 2023. This creation of a NTP has been supported by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure, formed in 2015. Furthermore, the Joint Committee has recommended that MOWT proceed post-haste with the development of the NTP. Although goals and dates have been identified in this realm, we are not yet steady on the right path. We have been here before. The 2005 CNTS was intended to kick-start the development of national transportation needs with short- and long-term goals. As aforementioned, this study’s findings were never approved, and the subject never matured enough to create a governing plan. There needs to be public engagement and pressure to ensure deliverables are met, commitments are upheld and that a progressive NTP is approved. That is why public education on this topic is paramount to its success. Every large-scale project has a planning phase to identify the issues, goals, constraints, strategies, financial investments and the principles for implementation. Major provinces and states in North America complete extensive long range transportation planning to ensure both continuity amongst various communities and linkage over a 30+ year span. To complement this master plan, short range transportation planning is completed to set foreseeable subgoals that feed into the primary long range plan. Transportation Planning involves collection of data and forecasting to determine the issues of today and the potential changes in demand, land-use, and human patterns. Transportation planning also involves widespread community outreach through stakeholder engagement. Public consultation is required to maintain a democratic society, one in which there is active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life. This thorough process of engagement, modeling, analysis and reporting is required to create a master transportation plan. A plan that takes into account all modes of transportation, makes use of modern transportation technologies, integrates local and regional transit, works to ease congestion and commute times, and promotes transit supportive development. A plan to create a better future. There needs to be a governing body that can execute this plan. Trinidad & Tobago has never had a governing Transit Authority. The Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) was founded in 1965 to provide stated-owned commercial bus service. The Public Transport Service Act (No. 11; 1965) mandated that the service provide safe, clean and inexpensive transport service for the people Trinidad & Tobago. The mandate did not elaborate on support for sustainable development. Furthermore, a 2018 IMACS study stated that public bus service accounts for only 15% of daily trips in Trinidad. Therefore PTSC is only responsible for a fraction of the transit system and has no jurisdiction over private taxis or maxi-taxis. The Transport Division of the MOWT guides the strategic direction of PTSC through its policies and is responsible for the licensing and inspection of private taxis. However, the private taxis sector is essentially a deregulated market that operate independently and managed based on supply and demand. In a research article by the University of Toronto’s Civil Engineering department, it has been argued that there are four key pillars to achieving more sustainable transportation. One of the key pillars is the establishment of a governing structure whose mandate, responsibility, power and support are aligned with achieving sustainable transportation development. Otherwise, a common problem is often the division of responsibility between land use planning and transportation ministries. In T&T there are currently multiple ministries that play a role in transportation planning. They include the Ministry of Rural Development and Urban Local Government, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Planning and Development and of course the Ministry of Works and Transport. But there is no governing transportation body. Recently, the previously referenced Joint Committee appointed by the Parliament recognized this issue and in a report to the ministries, strongly recommended the creation of a governing Transit Authority. The MOWT responded in agreement with this recommendation. This is further highlighted as a strategic initiative in the GOTT’s Vision 2030 to improve regulatory framework. To fulfill the GOTT’s Vision 2030 strategic initiative, there needs to be a publicly available action plan towards the creation of a Transit Authority. This is not a new issue as local transportation experts have been advocating for mass changes to the public transit network governance. Transit Authorities are established all over the world to develop and integrate multi-modal transportation plans for their governing regions, and plan investment strategies. Transit Authorities are created with mandates, responsibilities, power and support aligned with achieving sustainable transportation development. A Trinidad & Tobago Transit Authority could ensure that history does not repeat itself and that the long overdue NTP is published. It would be the Authorities responsibility to initiate, plan, procure, design, execute, operate and maintain a mass transit system that strives towards the short- and long-range goals of the NTP. There needs to be public engagement and pressure to ensure appropriate actions are taken to establish a Trinidad & Tobago Transit Authority. That is why public education on this topic is paramount to its success. On September 10, 2020 the Government‘s Roadmap to Recovery – Phase 2 Report indicated three pillars to support ambitions of steering the population to a new economy and new society. The first pillar states the need to diversify and transform the economy, under which there is a reference to shift the focus to mass transit and other non-automotive options. Investing in a logical mass transit solution can have tremendous impacts on the economy, as has been studied and can be further explored. T&T’s complex transportation issues are not unsolvable. It is of vital importance that we understand the key issues and prioritize their steady progression to address the continuous transportation system crisis Before we can achieve a successful transportation network, we must aspire.
39 Comments
7/15/2022 12:05:39 am
It was most captivating when you mentioned that public transit network administration needs mass changes. My friend wants to ensure that their public transit is consist of highly qualified professionals. I think they should partner with a public transit recruiter with a wide network in the field,
Reply
8/1/2022 04:09:44 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://takipcisatinalz.com/takipci-2/
Reply
8/1/2022 11:58:58 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.ugurelektronik.com/
Reply
8/9/2022 06:21:27 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.smsbankasi.net/2022/08/amazon-shopify-aliexpress-walmart-ebay.html
Reply
8/19/2022 03:01:12 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://guvenbozum.com/
Reply
9/5/2022 07:25:26 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://freecodezilla.net/download-essential-addons-for-elementor-free/
Reply
9/11/2022 02:42:58 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/
Reply
9/12/2022 03:30:19 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/
Reply
9/14/2022 05:08:06 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma
Reply
9/30/2022 06:06:00 am
It's great to have this type of content. Good luck with your spirit. Thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma
Reply
10/2/2022 06:00:44 am
https://devletbasvurusu.com/ibb-promosyonlari-27-bin-tl-olarak-aciklandi/
Reply
10/4/2022 02:31:35 pm
I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/elazig-escort/palu-escort/
Reply
10/5/2022 12:06:21 pm
It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/giresun-escort/tirebolu-escort/
Reply
10/5/2022 03:06:21 pm
I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/afyon-escort/hocalar-escort/
Reply
10/6/2022 11:00:20 am
I support your continuation of your posts. I will be happy as new posts come. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/rize-escort/camlihemsin-escort/
Reply
10/7/2022 06:56:19 pm
Thank you for your sharing. I must say that I am successful in your content. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/edirne-escort-2/enez-escort-edirne-escort-2/
Reply
10/8/2022 03:10:26 am
Thoughtful and real content is shared. Thank you for these shares. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/samsun-escort/ondokuzmayis-escort/
Reply
11/21/2022 01:50:47 pm
Tıkla evde calismaya basla: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/
Reply
12/9/2022 01:17:16 pm
kaliteli düşmeyen takipçi satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/
Reply
12/9/2022 04:24:44 pm
Tiktok takipçi satışı burada: https://takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/
Reply
12/9/2022 04:29:16 pm
İnstagram beğeni satışı yapan firmamıza göz atın: https://takipcialdim.com/instagram-begeni-satin-al/
Reply
12/15/2022 12:16:55 pm
takipçi satın al ve sitemizi ziyaret et: https://takipcim.com.tr/
Reply
1/9/2023 08:59:32 am
100 tl deneme bonusu veren siteleri öğrenmek istiyorsan tıkla.
Reply
4/27/2023 10:09:04 pm
Steroid Sipariş: https://www.anabolickapinda14.com/urun/
Reply
6/30/2023 04:40:03 pm
En iyi yozgat ilan sitesi burada. https://yozgat.escorthun.com/
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsVarious individuals will be contributing to this platform Archives
January 2021
Categories |