Reflective Post: A Congested Journey of the Urban Centre

Urban congestion encompasses a combination of causes and side effects to which harms the daily commuter and city dweller. The introductory video displays a range of mechanisms which greatly contributes to the overwhelming effects of congestion and how this urban phenomenon holds significant importance regarding proper planning of the city.

Forms of Urban Congestion
Photo Courtesy: Cherise Ali, Gopiechand Boodhan, Navida Bachan and Shalisa Ali

The business enterprise mainly consists of Banks located at the heart of the City, often termed ‘Banker’s Lane’ to facilitate the financial services to the mass public, as suggested by Pierre (2014). In this regard, this portion of her blog relates to the focus of my 7^th post; The City of Commerce- Banker’s Lane, and how this attracts higher density population into the city for commercial and financial activities as well as generates congestion in terms of buildings in close proximity to each other, the volume of cars in transit to and from these centres and the density of people visiting these banks for various transactions. Like Ali (2014) suggests, the ‘shopaholic’ is always in need to withdraw money from fast services provided by banks in order to fill their shopping bags.

Like Maloney (2014) says, ‘Transport systems are of great importance in the city of Port-of-Spain. With reference to my 11^th post on The Travel Market, these transporting mediums are a means of transit to and from the city, connecting all places to this Central Business District of Port-of-Spain. With designated bus stops and taxi terminals, daily commuters move from ‘Point A to Point B’ after being buzzled by the thick crowds that gather, rushing the moving bus (Post 12: Rush Hour- Leaving the City.)

The “exhaustion of the urban hustle” as Ali (2014) terms it, reflects the dynamics of urban stress and how congestion takes the energy out of people. She suggests that spending hours in traffic to reach the city is a tedious but necessary task of any individual. This correlates to my take on “Delayed Workforce” (Post 3), which speaks of the inefficiency of workers who were subject to long hours spent in a car or maxi as the case may be. Comparisons made between both blogs indicate that inefficient transport systems are the culprits regarding the quality and performance of our worker force. With increasing stress levels people visit, as I would call it, the ‘City Spa’ to de-stress oneself.

Additionally, vehicular traffic is often tagged as villains of urban pollution and proves lethal to the health of the population and how safe the air is to breathe. Vehicular exhaust from the build-up of traffic on the roads significantly contributes toward the death of the atmosphere. Constant flow of traffic would only result in the increasingly high gaseous contamination, further enhancing the effects of Global House Effect as suggested by Ragbir (2014). Her statements relate to my focus on congestion as it is a direct effect of what happens when there is simply too much cars on the roads (Post 2: A Long Wait to Enter the City), beit private cars or public transport (Post 11: Travel Market) during peak hours (Post 12: Rush Hour- Leaving the City) or perhaps when congestion is on a standstill (Post 3: Delayed Workforce).

 REFERENCES:

Ali, Cherise. 2014. De-stressing in the City that Never Sleeps. Fast Paced Urban Lifestyle.

http://fastpacedurbanlifestyle.blogspot.com/

Ali, Cherise. 2014. The Urban Lifestyle of the ‘Shopaholic’. Fast Paced Urban Lifestyle.

http://fastpacedurbanlifestyle.blogspot.com/

Ali, Cherise. 2014. The Exhaustion of the Urban Hustle. Fast Paced Urban Lifestyle.

http://fastpacedurbanlifestyle.blogspot.com/

Maloney, Cheryl-Ann. 2014. Getting From Point A to Point B. Urban Cultural Dimension.

http://urbanculturaldimension.blogspot.com/

Pierre, Nichel. 2014. Urban Banking. Urban Commercialism.

http://urbancommercialism.blogspot.com/

Ragbir, Clea. 2014. Exhaust Fumes Clouding up the City. Pollution in Cities.

http://pollutionincities.blogspot.com/2014/03/car-pollution-in-city.html

Rush Hour- Leaving the City

The above youtube video is indicative of the eagerness to leave school and transit to a homely environment. Similarly, this is the case of individual who spends an entire day, out of the house; beit at work, school or shopping in the streets. Long hours spent in the CBD of Port-of-Spain leaves people tired and restless, anxious to return to their zone of comfort. The collage of photos seeks to explain the rush of crowds while leaving the CBD. 

Rush Hour Congestion in Transport Terminals
Photo Courtesy: Shalisa Ali and Gopiechand Boodhan

Transportation to and from the city is essential for commuting locales of Trinidad. After a hard day’s work, people trot to various terminals only to be faced with long hours of wait. Crowds gather and congest small buildings and maxi taxi stands awaiting the arrival of buses and water taxis. With reference to the photos above, long lines build up within the PTSC bus stop area, while crowds rush the bus as it stops. Water transport is yet another form that has an increased demand for city-workers living in South, Trinidad. If you take a closer look at the photo on the right, you will see that inside the building is completely packed. Here in itself, rush hour adds to urban congestion in terms of the density of transit systems in the road as well as the number of people moving out of the city.

Crowding is at its highest during the peak hours thus increasing the degree and extent of congested roadways. Congestion is an increasingly unwelcome and costly disease in city life, prompting all sorts of attempts to mitigate it. Based on the urban theory of rush hour as presented by McDonald (2010), one implication of growth in demand is that the rush hour has become longer. This suggests that the more people there are to move out of the city, the more trips buses and taxis will have to make, thus delaying the process of movement. Frequent delays in arrival, transit ridership is becoming more prevalent in off-peak hours as well. On many occasions, sometimes night falls and meets tired workers still waiting for transport to leave the city.

REFERENCES:

 McDonald, John F. and Daniel P. McMillen. 2010. Urban Economics and Real Estate: Theory and Policy. John Wiley and Sons.

The Travel Market

Mass Public Transportation 
Photo Courtesy: Shalisa Ali

The Chicago Area Transportation Study (1956) says that the conditions of land use and density are the major determinants of the travel market. If demand is constrained by these factors, it is unlikely that changes in supply will have any great impact on the number of users. 

Urban sprawl as evident as it is today in Trinidad means that travelling is exacerbated by the needs tied to the CBD of Port-of-Spain. Reliance on private and public transportation is inevitable, thereby stimulating increases in the density of cars and buses within the main town. Associate dean at Monash Art and Design and Age art critic  Robert Nelson (2010) rightly states that ‘no public transport system can efficiently cope with low density... public transport in large areas of low demand will always be structurally inefficient: services are infrequent, unconnected and far apart.’ 

This by itself explains the photo above. The numbers of PTSC buses, maxis and taxis accumulate within the city as a means of transit to and from the outskirts. PTSC buses compact the car parks and taxis line the streets awaiting passengers to leave the city. Clusters of vehicles park in pockets designated for its functional mode of transport. This then adds to the already congested condition of the city in terms of the number of vehicles with a rather efficient transportation network connecting places far away from down town. Incentives to utilise private cars result from a lack in the public transportation services, 

but this is not the case of POS. 

A wide array of means of public transit is provided by the local government which enables easy travel to and from, in an attempt to significantly reduce current congestion rates.

For further information on solutions to combat the issue of congestion in Port-of-Spain, please follow the links provided below:

ODPM advises to carpool into POS today

http://www.news.gov.tt/content/odpm-advises-carpool-port-spain-today#.UzdUj_ldV1o

Solving Chronic Traffic Congestion

http://www.newsday.co.tt/businessday/0,177123.html

REFERENCES:

Nelson, Robert. 2010. Spreading ourselves too thin. The Age.

Perks to Traffic

Central planners such as the politicians often oversee the issue of congestion and concentrate activities in already congested areas, thereby overcrowding the CBD. According to a blog by Trinbago Views, not being the subject fully to the negative effects of traffic means that they have the upper hand to afforded perks that the ordinary citizen does not enjoy. 

Perks including: the Priority Bus Route (PBR), Priority Parking Privileges, Security escort through traffic, Flexible office hours, Helicopters, Government Living accommodation in the city and free gasoline. This gages such members of society to be privileged with the function of eluding the stress and acts of patience during their commute.

  

Privileged Members of Society receives Perks to Traffic Congestion in Port-of-Spain 
Photo Courtesy: Gopiechand Boodhan

The above photos seek to relate to the concept of perks allocated to superior members of the nation. Police and members of Parliament have no fear of breaking the law as they are seen to be the makers and enforcers of the law. As such, certain privileges are deemed to follow their footsteps, in this case, tire tracks. Clearly there is no adherence to the no-parking sign. Recalling this day, the photo to the top left was taken to show that a police passing another police vehicle parked in a no parking zone did not see that as an issue, as opposed to the ordinary citizen. Secondly, the picture to the right shows that on the day this photo was taken (Wednesday), the meaning of the sign was completely lost. As Dunn states, tax payers are continuously footing the bill for increased benefits for public sector workers. These free gifts should be stopped!

REFERENCES:

Dunn, Jennifer. Perks for Parking Tickets. The Tax Payers Alliance.

TrinbagoViews. 2013. Five Major Causes of Traffic in Trinidad & Tobago: Central Planners Have No Incentive to Solve Traffic Problems.

Everyday Urbanism

Busy crowds assemble in the streets of Port-of-Spain to carry out their daily activities, whether it is work, shopping, business transactions or even a casual visit to the city. Arrangement of streets within the city is a reflection of the dominant culture in which roads are referred to as the skeleton of the city. 

Crowded Street in Port-of-Spain
Photo Courtesy: Cherise Ali

Downs states ‘traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in all large and growing metropolitan areas across the world.’ Built around the CBD, as seen in the photo to the left, the streets are filled with people crossing the wide lanes in hurry as the line of cars awaits a clear road for easy transit. Street vendors house their mobile shops on the edges of the roads, leaving room for movement on the side-walks. Eager shoppers pay a visit to the nearby fruit vendor, drinks stall, snow-cone man or doubles man to get a quick snack and a refreshment to continue to their hectic schedule in the hot sun. 

The use of space in this context stimulates interaction among the social classes; a benefit of congestion. 

Downs claims that congestion is not necessarily a problem but a solution to the mobility problem which facilitates interactions for increasing the strength of the economy.

  

Traffic Regulation and Safety Patrol
Photo Courtesy: Cherise Ali

What I admire about this CBD is that regulation of traffic and social activities are priority for the safety of the environs. A policeman is seen to stand tall and firm, looking on at the traffic building up within the block, giving a sense of security to the passers-by and direction of the flow of traffic. Traffic wardens are also on patrol within various areas of Port-of-Spain, and so I feel a sense of pride and comfort knowing that I am looked after for.

According to Kaliski (1999), everyday urbanism explores the facets of everyday life, building on reality with its non-structural aspect due to the direct relationship between physical design of the city and social behaviour. 

 REFERENCES:

Downs, Anthony. 2004. Why Traffic Congestion is Here to Stay... and Will Get Worse. Access, no. 25. Accessed 27^th March 

http://www.uctc.net/access/25/Access%2025%20-%2004%20-%20Traffic%20Congestion%20is%20Here%20to%20Stay.pdf

Kaliski, J. 1999. Everyday Urbanism. New York, Monacelli Press.

Promotion Promotes Crowd Development

Crowd manipulation is the intentional use of various techniques based on the principle of crowd psychology in order to engage and influence the desires of the crowd to direct its behaviour in a certain manner. 

Take a closer look at the pictures shown. 

Rush for Umbrellas on a rainy day in Port-of-Spain
Photo Courtesy: Shalisa Ali

Orchard Vibe Promotion attracts city dwellers
Photo Courtesy: Shalisa Ali

I remember that this day, was very overcast and rainy! The weather is one thing that is a major cause for congestion in Port-of-Spain. As the downpour of rain increased, the concentration of people by Excellent Stores increased simultaneously, and when these people realised that they were not going to get anywhere with this rain, they paid a visit to the ‘umbrella man’, buying into their needs. The need for an umbrella caused a rush of people to gather around the one sales person. I’m pretty sure that he made a huge profit just by looking at the amount of umbrellas sold. From the time I stood next to him to the time I left, approximately 12 passers-by stopped and bought an umbrella.

If you take a closer look, you will be able to see the ‘Orchard Vibe’ banner hanging high next to the blue truck. This particular company was promoting its products to the wider public of Port-of-Spain, by sharing free samples. “Typical Trinis love ah free ting” as one would often say. The line-up for a bottle of Orchard Vibe grew long as the crowds rushed towards the barrels filled with cold drinks at City Gate. Young, old, boy, girl, everyone was rushing forth.

Promotions of goods in particular attracts the eye of the passer-by,

Taking a stop to see, what they can get for free.

No matter if they need it or not,

They take it, else it would ‘hutt.

REFERENCES: 

Reicher, S. (1987). Crowd behaviour as social action. In Turner, J., Hogg, M., Oakes, P.,

Reicher, S., & Wetherell, M.. Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford: Blackwell.

The city of Commerce- Banker's Lane

Banker's Lane, Port-of-Spain
Photo Courtesy: Gopiechand Boodhan

Port-of-Spain is remarkably known as the centre of everything, and this is quite true! There is a high concentration of various economic activities are clustered in the district, thus attracting a greater quantity of the country’s working population to keep the economy going. This on its own creates the issue of congestion in its own right due to the concentration of buildings, but is also the driving force behind the attraction and by extent the density of people in the city on a daily basis. The importance of this city to the financial sector is apart from being in the depth of trade and commerce, it is also home to two of the largest banks within the Caribbean; Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and Republic Bank, Trinidad and Tobago.

The photo shows the agglomeration of a number of bank headquarters, all of which line both sides of one street, known as “Banker’s Lane”.  The amount of people; customers and workers visiting and working in these service sectors generate mass vehicular traffic as a result of improper roadside parking. Eventhough parking is facilitated by each branch, there simply is not enough space to facilitate the amount of cars, and road side parking is the resultant. This then adds to the congestion of the area and heightens the traffic flow on the roads, slowing the movement to and from. This then goes to say that within Port-of-Spain there is an overflow of economic activities that flood the streets and stimulate an attraction to the city.

Can we then say that Port-of-Spain is an Economic city?

Please view the following youtube video in order to gain a better understanding of what an Economic City is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TaI0atyZ-o

Attempts to move away from stagnant motion of benefit obtained from economic activities into other areas are being made, and with this movement, there will now be greater equality and an ease in the congestion of Port-of-Spain. Activities that were once centred on one area will now be accessible to the population throughout the country.

For further information, please read the newspaper article below for further details:

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business-magazine/Its-easier-to-do-business-234326731.html

http://newsday.co.tt/business/0,185556.html