A new traffic measure introduced by the Ministry of Infrastructure is stirring frustration among commuters as motorists adjust to the “no right turn” rule from the Computer World junction into northbound traffic.
The initiative, announced by Infrastructure Minister Stephenson King, is part of a wider package of “soft measures” designed to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic on the nation’s highways.
“We came up with a suite of initiatives, what we call soft measures, which calls for slip lanes, holding lanes, traffic signaling at various locations in an endeavor to synchronize the flow of the traffic so that persons can navigate to and from the north,” King explained.
Among the adjustments are newly installed slip lanes and holding lanes at busy intersections such as Orange Grove Plaza, aimed at reducing bottlenecks.
“At the Orange Grove Plaza, we had to put what we call a slip lane there. So once you hit at a distance, you don’t wait until you get to Orange Grove. By just putting one extra lane closer to Orange Grove on the left-hand side, you get into that lane and turn in without having to wait for anything. And the same thing goes for southbound traffic, where you put a holding lane in the middle so that from the time you hit Sunbelt you can get into that holding lane and await your turn to turn into Orange Grove,” King noted.
Still, for many motorists, the new restrictions have meant longer travel times and confusion during peak hours. Some argue that while the rule may eventually ease traffic, the immediate inconvenience is proving difficult for daily commuters.
Looking ahead, Minister King revealed that the government is working on larger infrastructure projects to permanently improve traffic management. A delegation is set to travel to Washington during the upcoming World Bank and IMF meetings to finalize two loan agreements that will support road development.
“We have already identified a supplier of a falling bridge at Shock to replace the existing Shock bridge. That is coming from a company called Atlas out of the United Kingdom,” he said.
