|
|
Mauritius: Bottleneck in Port Louis for an evergrowing fleet
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
L'Express (Port Louis)
17 September 2007
Posted to the web 17 September 2007
Pauline Etienne
Port Louis
Once again, the six-hour standstill in traffic caused by the sugar truck accident in Pailles last Thursday points at the necessity to have more ways in and out of the capital.
The accident was so spectacular that many cars stopped to see it - which caused an even more serious congestion.
Six hours of traffic for a mere accident. Although this time, the congestion was really spectacular, it is far from the first time that a single problem on the motorway causes major problems in traffic management. "It gives you a slight idea of the importance of our fleet compared to our road network," said chief inspector Ben Buntipilly, who worked hard last Thursday to reduce traffic congestion after a sugar lorry crashed in Pailles.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of vehicles registered at the National Transport Authority (NTA) at the end of the year 2006 was 319,440, which shows a net increase of 13,944 vehicles (4.6%) over the December 2005 figure of 305,496. Between 1997 and 2006, there was an increase of about 100,000 vehicles on the roads. In fact, there are about 10,000 additional vehicles on the roads every year and,by 2017, about 500,000 vehicles are expected.
Meanwhile, no decision has been made to try and improve the network. There is only one way in and out the capital and no alternative is offered to drivers if there is a problem on the way from or to the office. "I do not know where the solution lies but there is one certainty: there is a need to extend the road network because it is completely saturated," commented the chief inspector.
According to the police officer, the situation of road congestion related to such cases of accidents or even breakdowns becomes even more serious because of "artificial slowing down." He acknowledged that it is perfectly "normal and human that people stop to see what happened - especially in such spectacular accidents but it is definitely not recommended". He added, "I am sure the time of congestion could have been reduced by half if people did not stop by curiosity."
In every country of the world, accidents can lead to more traffic jams than usual. However, the case is not as serious as it was in Mauritius last Thursday - and what usually happens each time such an incident occurs.
The Dream Bridge, said to be under consideration, may help solve this kind of problem. It would be an alternative route for all those who are only passing by Port-Louis but do not need to go through the capital.
However, some ministry officers have shown their preference for the implementation of the 18 measures recommended by British expert, Jonathan Richmond, aimed at reducing road congestion. These measures include an increase in bus tickets during peak hours, the introduction of flexitime, the payment of transport allowances through bus passes, the reform of the taxi system, the building of an "open bus way" as well as the very controversial congestion charge at the entrance of Port-Louis for private cars between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.
This might well be the reason why these measures have not been implemented yet. And the British expert was very clear that it was not worth implementing only some of the 18 measures.
Meanwhile, the situation is still chaotic and a small breakdown is enough to stop the flow of vehicles and lead to major congestion for long hours. Last Thursday's incident might be one too many and hopefully, it could bring the government to go quicker with some of the measures.
Road congestion is an economic burden for the country. Remaining stuck for a long time also means a waste of petrol, which is both a financial and an environmental burden. People lose money and time in traffic jams while they could use it to be more efficient at work.
The Mauritius Employers Federation (MEF) must certainly have felt the effects of road congestion, as it has released an email since the beginning of the month to seek professionals' "views on the problem of traffic congestion to ascertain the impact on business operations, costs and investment." The MEF would also like to have their opinions of the "possible solutions to alleviate congestion on our roads".
|
This is just one example of how traffic congestion is starting to be in everyone's mind. The government should be even quicker to take action.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2007 L'Express. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
