Traffic jam ‘agoraphobia ’ crippling motorists
By DENISE BALGOBIN Sunday, October 21 2007
Commuters have resorted to car-pooling, taking public transportation and leaving their vehicles at home, all in a bid to get away from the chronic traffic congestion which begins before 6 am every day choking off movement into and out of the city.
Many businesses have difficulty in operating properly, since employees as well as owners often arrive later than scheduled opening times, mainly due to uncontrollable traffic and transport issues.
Within the last year, almost every day, there are lines of cars from as far as Charlieville in Central, Curepe Junction in the East and the National Stadium from the West, at any given time during the day. Previously, the traffic was mainly around peak hours, but this has definitely changed.
Purchasing a vehicle is considered a sign of upward social mobility, but it can become frustrating when monthly instalments have to be made, yet you are unable to enjoy the luxury of a peaceful ride to get to work without having to face some kind of “road rage” from irate drivers.
So you resort to public transportation, such as a bus or taxi, the latter sometimes being scarce as some drivers are caught in traffic, and others want to take a short break before making another trip, which just results in more stress for the travelling public.
According to Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) President Gregory Aboud, many members of this organisation live on the East-West corridor, so they have become somewhat “accustomed to” the traffic issues.
“It takes from ten to 30 minutes more to make the same journey than it did just one year ago,” he stated in a telephone interview with Sunday Newsday.
“And any minor mishap, such as a flat tyre or a slow truck has a more drastic effect on the traffic than the authorities realise.
“This worsens when there is any type of accident.”
He said that DOMA is greatly concerned about the traffic signals at Curepe, UWI, Macoya and Trincity, “since these are obviously not programmed to cope with rush hour traffic.
A simple solution would be to programme the signals facing east to allow more west bound traffic in the morning, with the opposite in the afternoon (allowing easy east bound flow).
“What I find utterly ridiculous, considering the volume of East-West traffic, is the functions of the two traffic lights at Valsayn and the one at the Bamboo intersection. At least two of these should be switched off immediately, leaving just one at Valsayn.
“I am sure these minor changes would bring tremendous relief to lots of citizens, whose increasing stress levels are of serious concern.
Lots of our members suffer from loss of man hours, and there is also a high turn-over of employees at many business places, as workers just cannot cope with the time strains.”
What he finds commendable is the issue of traffic making its way onto the political platforms.
“The fact that it has been recognised as an area that needs attention gives us some hope for relief.”
The above issues have inevitably led to an increasingly “stressed out” society, where tempers flare at the slightest provocation.
This is supported by the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturer’s Association (TTMA) President Karen de Montbrun, who said members “are negatively affected by the congestion on our nation’s roads. Every day, thousands of workers spend hours in traffic heading to and from their workplaces.
This leads to frustration, low morale, and a decline in worker productivity. We are pleased that construction work has started on the long awaited Churchill Roosevelt/Uriah Butler Highway Interchange, which, once completed, will bring relief to motorists.
“However, the Association is concerned about another initiative the Government has in train to deal with traffic congestion – the proposed rapid rail project. The Government must explain to the citizens of this country why it is moving full steam ahead with this one alternative without the benefit of a proper study that would show what are the possible alternative options, and which is the best option for this country.
“Implementing a rapid rail system in this country will incur a massive cost – not just in the construction phase, but in its annual operation, and it is therefore imperative that a major investment study be undertaken prior to embarking on such a significant infrastructure development project.”
She added that the “Government’s focus on rail also limits their search for more economical, sustainable alternatives that can be more quickly implemented at less cost and bring relief: eg High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, better management of traffic and public transportation.”
A random check with TTMA members along the East-West corridor revealed that on average, workers leave their homes at least 45 minutes earlier to get to work on time, and spend an average of 45 minutes to more than one hour in traffic either way.
“Members have reported as much as a 50 percent decline in productivity, and a corresponding decrease in sales.
“Workers are not the only ones adversely affected. It impacts on the cost of doing business for manufacturers, importers and exporters as well.
“Long hours spent in traffic results in goods being delivered late, which can then lead to a drop in customer satisfaction.
“Sales are also declining, as sales people make fewer deliveries and customer visits during the course of the day.
“Traffic congestion delays trucks and thus limits our ability to move goods to and from the ports.
This could result in overtime costs, and increase the cost of doing business thereby making us less competitive,” de Montbrun ended.
“It is no longer enjoyable to drive on our highways and people are reluctant to go to work,” stated Dr Hari D Maharajh, consultant specialist in Psychiatry, Neurology and Family Medicine, and senior lecturer in the Department of Clinical Medicine at Mount Hope, UWI, during an interview with Sunday Newsday.
“Stress is the outcome of demands made on individuals, and can be handled in short doses, but when there is a build up of anxiety, there are obvious negative effects on humans,” he stated.
Describing what he terms a “learned helplessness”, the doctor stated that when individuals are subjected to negative experiences on a regular basis, they eventually learn to adjust to this negativity as a “normal” way of life. “It is difficult then for people to break out of the negative cycle.”
This he said results in deteriorating work performances, chaotic family lives and general personal confusion, with no system available to provide relief.
Dr Maharajh revealed that he had a patient who had a back operation about a year ago.
The individual works in Port-of-Spain and lives in Central, but is reluctant to return to work because of the simple fact that the usually 30-minute trip now takes more than two hours in sweltering traffic.
“Sitting in a vehicle for a long period can cause pains for the average individual, so imagine the pain of someone who has had back surgery.”
Giving an example of an average single mother in her mid-40s with two children having to make the trip on a daily basis, the doctor stated, “After it has taken two hours to get to work, you need a considerable amount of time to rest before you can start to perform your duties.
Then before midday, your boss gets upset and takes it out on you, so you try to cope.
“In the afternoon, you try to beat the peak time traffic to get home to your children, but it still takes almost two hours. Then you get home and try to help two demanding kids with homework, preparing dinner and then the day is over. There is no time for any type of relaxation before you have to get up in the morning to start the routine all over again.
“What quality of life are we building in this country with situations like these that face many citizens?” he asked.
A direct impact of traffic-related stress may be the various types of road rage displayed every day by motorists trying to shorten the trips into the capital.
Those drivers using the shoulders to shave off a few minutes are breaking the law and are often caught by strategically placed traffic cops, but many are able to evade them.
Some motorists get angry when vehicles unceremoniously cut in front of them which is a more than frequent occurrence, but there are also many passengers who are grateful for the time saved by “brave” taxi drivers who practice this.
This, Dr Maharajh described as a lack of respect for others, but “there are some drivers who will do whatever is necessary to get from point A to point B within a certain time frame.
There is a total disruption in the driving habits of many persons, who are mostly silently angry and frustrated by the traffic build up.
“The result is that citizens are generally becoming more abusive, as the tendency is to vent anger on the person next to you. Some people may even resort to alcoholism and even suicide when they cannot find solutions to their stress.
“The traffic congestion is affecting family lives and people’s health. With all these cars on the road, people, especially young children, are constantly exposed to a high level of exhaust fumes from which they can develop several diseases.
“Right now, there are many more persons suffering from symptoms relating to agoraphobia (a panic disorder) than a few years ago as a result of traffic woes.
People are now fearful of getting into cars because of the confined space. How are they supposed to get to work and then function at expected levels?”
According to the current issue of Contact magazine from the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce, ways to alleviate the traffic include designating the Priority Bus Route as an exclusive Rapid Bus Way with synchronised traffic signals; using the third (outer) lane of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway as a high occupancy vehicle lane (with more than two occupants, as defined by Dr Rae Furlonge); establishment of a National Transportation Management Authority, with responsibility for transportation planning and management.
The Chamber conducted research on the quality of life of persons facing the traffic issues and found that: “Only a few firms have implemented flexi-time work options for staff.
The average time spent to and from work on daily basis is about five hours, which for a professional working for $15,000 monthly ($82.50 an hour) translates into about $9,372 lost per month.
“Most families from Central with children going to school in Port-of-Spain leave home between 5.30 and 6 am, with the children sleeping through the entire trip.”
In August this year, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert stated that over the past several years, his ministry had done a considerable amount of work in designing a national grid of highways and roads in Trinidad, due to the major headache of traffic congestion during peak hours.
He said that designs were in the advanced stages for roads in different areas of the country, with packages large enough to attract experienced international contractors to complete the works within reasonable time frames.
Work on the long-awaited Uriah Butler Highway/Bamboo interchange is currently underway, which the Government hopes will assist alleviating the traffic bottlenecks which occur during peak rush hour traffic.
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