A new plan to cut traffic will be announced next week and not everyone is going to be happy about it, Transport Minister Ewart Brown has warned.
Suggestions already discussed by Cabinet include stopping the sale of second hand cars, placing restrictions on car ownership for guest workers and introducing a licence plate scheme that would allow drivers to come into Hamilton before 10am on alternate days based on whether their plates end in odd or even numbers.
One idea that could make the changes more palatable, however, is providing free public transport.
A new survey commissioned by the Bermuda Sun suggests 41 per cent of people would use the busses and ferries more if they didn't have to pay.
Dr. Brown isn't giving anything away until the formal announcement, but he definitely likes the idea of free transport.
Speaking late last year he said: "I would like to see public transportation in Bermuda free.
"It would make a big difference if you could hop on a ferry or bus and be charged nothing. I don't think the money we make [from it] is all that much."
More than 9,600 cars travel into Hamilton in the morning, most of them before 9am and most of them include just the driver. On average 170 new cars are added to the road every month.
We wanted to know whether free transport would be enough to make people leave their cars and bikes at home.
We also wanted to know how often people use public transport now.
Total Marketing and Communications Ltd surveyed 401 people for us between March 7-17.
It found that only six per cent of people use the bus every day and only two per cent use the ferry. A massive 43 per cent said they never use the bus and 36 per cent said they never use the ferry.
When asked if they would use public transport more if it were free, however, 41 per cent said they would, although 57 per cent said it wouldn't make a difference.
Total Marketing explained: "Those most likely to use the bus include less affluent residents, those 55 years of age or older, black residents and non-Bermudians."
Dr. Brown has been promising to announce controversial traffic decongestion measures ever since he came into office. Last week though he told reporters at a press conference that an announcement would be made next week.
Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Comment by:
T
I think Dr Brown has bigger problems to worry about then congestion in town. We spend to much time on issues that really don't matter. How about he put some focus on the fact that we are graduating students that can't READ!!! Focus on that. He can't tell me when I can and can't drive my car. When he starts reducing the amount that I have to pay to license and insure it and not mention the car note, then he and I can talk. He has bigger problems to worry about. And one is HE JUST LOST MY VOTE!
Posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Comment by:
Tara Miller
Wow, what about limiting the amount of new cars that are sold at the dealerships per month and not allowing cars on the road during heavy traffic hours unless they are carpooling. Would that not get to the same conclusion with out all of these micro rules?
Posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Comment by:
Christopher Jackson
I am glad to see the Government taking steps to solve the growing problem, however I hope they have also noticed that we only really have a traffic problem when the schools are in.
This last week has been a joy driving (my bike) into town and I always look forward to the open roads during the Summer.
This would suggest that it is not the volume of cars on the road that is the real problem, but rather parents' unwillingness to trust the public transport system to carry their children to and from school.
How about a fleet of school-specific, free, mini-buses (so they can service all neighbourhoods, and the driver can more easily monitor the passengers) to service the schools?
As a non-parent, is there something I'm missing here? What would a parent's concern be about their child commuting with 12 schoolmates in the same mini-bus each day?
let's hope our MPs give this some consideration.
Posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Comment by:
Pat Brown
I think providing free tranportion of the buses and ferries is a great idea. The issue as I forsee it, are the lousy schedules. How are people in Spanish Point supposed to cope? Their buses stop running around 6 PM. Are they just supposed to resign themselves to never leaving their neighbourhood? And the fact that none of the schedules start before 7AM is another weakness.
There needs to be a serious overhaul of the public transportion. But5 I love the idea if the problems can be addressed.
Posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Comment by:
Ernie M. Lewin
One idea that was not mentioned in you article is car-pooling. The government could offer incentive to encourage high occupancy vehicles (HOV) at certain hours, and even fine violators. This happens a lot in the US and other places.
Posted: Monday, April 02, 2007
Comment by:
Laurie DeFontes-Hudson
I leave home at 5:20am. I live a good 15 minute walk off of the main road, how am I supposed to get to Hamilton? Is Dr. Brown going to pay for my taxi five mornings a week? Is he going to pay the bank for my car loan as I won't be able to drive it? Are we living in Cuba, China or some other dictatorship?
Posted: Monday, April 02, 2007
Comment by:
Collin
The hypocracy about this survey is that "free transportation" would convert drivers to use Public Transport. It is already cheaper, if one considers the gas and parking costs. So get real!
Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007
Comment by:
Karen
I have always agreed with when a person is in the process of getting a new car, they should have the old one cut in half, second Expats should NOT be alowed a car unless they are married with one or more children, I know some many Expats that are either single or live together that have cars and bikes, I thought a law was passed many years ago that expats where NOT permitted a car?
Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007
Comment by:
Nicola
Having lived in Bermuda for 10 years and as a spouse of Bermudian, the traffic problem concerns me. I have 2 young children and cannot understand why the government does not consider giving some of the old buses to the schools on the island to take the children from both ends of the island to their schools. Also implementing some kind of incentive for carpooling would go a long way to ease traffic congestion.
