Discussions about the bus way and congestion pricing have reached the cabinet stage. No decision has been taken and discussions should be quite lengthy, as technicians have not reached any consensus. The PM?s comment on this issue could however mean that both measures are being seriously considered. ?When I was in Great Britain, I must admit I was not happy when the authorities implemented the toll but the results are there; problems of road congestion have definitely been reduced.?

However, the technicians who have worked on this project do not agree on all proposals by Jonathan Richmond, particularly the one on congestion pricing as well as the elimination of parking spaces in the streets of the capital. They believe the British expert made his proposals to the government without being fully aware of the local social situation. But, even if he has not said his final word, Navin Ramgoolam has already remarked: ?People who drive a car should have the means to pay a toll at the entrance to the capital.? Moreover, congestion pricing should force people to share a car to and from work to avoid paying the fee ? and this should in itself reduce traffic congestion.

Time saving

In fact, Jonathan Richmond made it clear, like many before him, that the bus way alone will not give the expected results. It may partly solve the problem but better results would be achieved if both measures were implemented concurrently. He has recommended 16 other measures if the authorities want to get rid of traffic jams.

The engineer and adviser to the ministry of Transport, Stefan Atchia, considers that the government has to find ways of encouraging people to leave their cars at home. ?It now takes about one hour by bus to get from Quatre-Bornes to Port-Louis. With the bus way, it would take about 18 minutes so time saving should be the first motivation. This is the carrot, now we need the stick. For people to leave their cars at home, they must be discouraged from using them. So we are telling them, if you want to go through the capital between 7 am and 10 am, you will have to pay.?

Unpopular at first

But the adviser is aware that implementing such a measure is risky for a government. There is no doubt that it will at first appear unpopular to people but, if the government has the courage to make it a reality, the situation will change on the roads and will bring long-term benefits. ?Mauritians are very sensitive to prices. They like to have things for free and the best way of changing mentalities is to put a price on what is free. We are not saying that you will not have the right to use your car but when you do it between 7 and 10 am, you have to pay for it. If you don?t want to pay, we can offer you a quality alternative mode of transport, rapid and comfortable.?

He made it clear that the minimum standard required to use the bus way will be the ?blue line?. ?Old buses will remain on old roads,? he commented. The adviser to the ministry of Transport is confident that the measures will give quick and positive results if they are implemented fully but he is not sure whether they will be. ?If I were the prime minister, I would seize the opportunity and implement all the measures. And the officers would just have to follow the rules.?