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The traffic jam puzzle
The press recently reported government’s intention to introduce a toll system to reduce the number of vehicles entering Port-Louis in the morning. The idea was first expressed by a Singapore consultant. According to the report, it may cost a vehicle between Rs 50 and Rs100 daily. This is obviously not within the reach of all motorists. Any scheme that is rushed into is bound to fail without a thorough assessment of the direct and indirect implications. The intentions may be good but the methods wrong.
Importing ready-made solutions to our problems is not what we need. What is good in Singapore or London may not necessarily work in Mauritius. These cities have a vast public transport system so efficient that one does not need one’s own car. Here we have a crumbling public transportation that is struggling to deliver. Imagine how chaotic the situation will be when thousands of motorists are forced to switch to public transport should a toll system be implemented!
In the absence of reliable alternatives, a toll system will be highly discriminatory since it will force those who cannot afford to pay out of the road, leaving it to those who can and who would then travel in comfort. There is also no guarantee of effective enforcement, with increased risks of “undeserved favour”.
If you cannot enforce simple parking regulations, how are you going to ensure a successful road-pricing implementation ? A congestion charge cannot be introduced without prior improve- ment of the public transport system to offer more reliable choices to the public. In short, Mauritius is not ready to adopt road pricing policies. Alternative policies that do not financially burden the population can be worked out.
Regarding bus services, why is it that most, if not all, services always start from a bus station and end at a bus station ? If buses leaving a station are already full, how will they accommodate passengers at intermediary stops ? Why don’t some services start mid-way ? Or why can’t a system be devised whereby buses leave the terminus with at least 15 empty seats, reserved for passengers waiting on the route. Why is it that both the police and the NTA turn a blind eye to those ‘private-operated’ buses that refuse to leave the terminus until they are full ?
<B>Move away from current system</B>
Plying outside bus stands is an offence, but how many are booked? Once they are full, they go ‘express’, and who cares if you are stuck at a bus stop. The scene of private-operated buses squatting at bus station exits, be it Goodlands, Immigration Square, Victoria Square, Flacq, etc. is too familiar.
Because of the long-term nature of transport planning there is a need for political consensus in tackling congestion, including examining the potential of moving away from the current system of motoring taxation towards a national system of road pricing. Public support is necessary for such a scheme, otherwise the political price would be far too high and no sensible party would want to take such a risk. But, to gain this support, people need to be convinced of the pros and cons of the system. The objective should not be to put people off the roads but rather to enable them to get more out of the existing road network.
Truly speaking, it seems there has never been any long-term strategic thinking at the Ministry of Transport. The previous regime introduced two spectacular measures: all the then Transport minister could come up with was the publication of bus time-tables (which most buses do not respect anyway). His successor created an additional lane at Place d’Armes to ease traffic flow in the city centre. Ministers come and go, but it is the same bureaucrats/technicians who advise them or propose solutions. Do these technicians have the capacity to think out of the box ? Can the nation rely on a bunch of technicians with limited vision to propose working solutions ?
The morning ‘third lane» measure is a temporary solution gone permanent. Incidentally, this idea was first suggested by the undersigned. Little did I know that, some ten years later, the system would still exist, and would even be “perfected” through a re-engineering that has apparently not met its objectives !
Promise still pending</B>
The initial idea was to allow a smooth and continuous flow of traffic along the southbound carriageway. But the result has been the shifting of the congestion problem to Caudan roundabout and Brabant St. Furthermore, the new system severely penalises motorists of Pailles (Guibies and Camp Chapelon) who now have to travel extra miles in snail-mo-ving traffic.
The use of Bell-Village bridge by locals is now banned every morning. Those heading towards Réduit must go to Port- Louis first. Strangely enough, none of the four MPs of the region has thought it necessary to raise a question in Parliament. A promise to introduce a pass system to allow local residents access to the bridge is still pen-ding. Well, it’s not election time yet, so why bother…
Decentralisation and relocation of public services outside the capital have always been high on any government’s agenda. However, ironically, we see frequent government adverts in the press looking for office space… in Port-Louis !
Contrary to what has been said, our road network has not reached saturation point. Other cities in the world have a much higher density of vehicles per km of road than Mauritius; in some cases, up to four times as much, yet they are able to cope. It’s not the number of vehicles that matters but effective road traffic management. A better management, coupled with well-devised policies and some re-engineering, will produce marvels. But is the competence there?
<B>Mohammed HAMUTH</B>
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