Significant improvements in Jamaica’s highways
ALTHOUGH THERE have recently been significant improvements in Jamaica’s highways, the same cannot be said for many parochial and urban roads. The long hours many Jamaicans spend each day in traffic imposes avoidable costs on household budgets, individual and public health, businesses’ bottom lines, and the nation, through a very heavy fuel import bill. There are also the environmental costs which are frequently ignored, but for which society still pays.
There are several ways Jamaica can reduce the negative impact of traffic congestion on productivity and competitiveness (individual, firm, industry and country). First, continue to expand the existing road network – which is very expensive, especially since persons have been allowed to construct permanent structures too close to existing roadways.
Second, intensify the use of existing roads using ICT to manage traffic, employ pricing strategies to raise the cost of using the road network, and offer incentives to road users to reduce their use of selected roads. This option might be difficult to implement as it requires cultural and behavioural changes among road users. In this regard, public education to change attitudes and behaviour to encourage greater use of public transportation are among the strategies identified in the 2009 Transport Sector Plan.
THIRD OPTION
The third and most effective option is a combination of the first and second. This mixed strategy appears to offer the best approach to maximise productivity at a relatively lower overall cost to the taxpaying public, as it reduces congestion, wear and tear on the roads and on vehicles, as well as pollution. At the same time, it frees up the limited road space for use of higher valueadding vehicles such as public passenger and freight transportation services.
If Jamaica is to raise productivity and competitiveness of its workforce, firms, organisations and industries, it must conduct a cost-benefit analysis of all the possible solutions. No country has ever been able to deliver significant economic development without efficiently and effectively moving people and goods.
While increased capital investments will be necessary for road network expansion and maintenance, there are also less costly short- to medium-term solutions to consider – such as staggered work schedules, flexi-work, a school bus system, electronic road pricing, and clampdown on overloaded trucks – around which a national conversation could be framed.