Driving to work in Port-of-Spain is becoming more synonymous
with the concept of ‘working to drive’!
Commuting city workers, adopt early departure from their homes in an attempt to beat
the deadly slow-paced traffic resulting form the density of cars jam-packed one to the other on the nations highways and byways as suggested in the previous post.
Despite the effort, they are compelled to
sit still and wait.
As Kay (1997) states, 'You're not stuck in a traffic jam, you are the jam.'
Consequent to inefficient road network systems placed in Trinidad, according to Kimuyu, the productivity of
the working population becomes inefficient and thereby negatively impacts upon the
economy. Weisbod et al. (2003) claims that traffic congestion impairs productivity and this is so as traffic congestion consumes the energy and time of the individual, while heightening effects of stress levels. Arrival at the workplace workers feel as if they "deserve" an instant break from that tiring journey toward the Northern end of the country.
Follow the link below to enhance your understanding on the issue of congestion and how it relates to inefficient productivity:
Delayed Workers
Photo Courtesy: Shalisa Ali
Delayed Workers enjoy traffic in Port-of-Spain
Looking to the left and you will notice three working women dressed in orange tops stuck in
the slow-paced traffic in Port-of-Spain. Upon seeing this, I quickly peeked at the time and awed that they were delayed for work.
They do nothing other than accept that fact and be labelled as a cause of inefficiency. Urban congestion intensifies stress levels and stimulates the inefficient state of workers.
How much work is done is questionable with the time spent on-site in the workplace.
Reaching to work late is one thing, but leaving early to reach home at a
specific time is another. Traffic in the cities tends to cut back on the
working hours of the country’s working class and this is not ideal for a
growing economy in the service sector. In economic terms, there is therefore the concept of opportunity cost where traffic congestion is concerned, that being time to do conduct a greater amount of economic activities. The theory of Opportunity cost is dominated by the aspect of choice and the concept of the next best alternative, and with respect to congestion and workers, it is time to be productive.
Driving to work in Port-of-Spain is becoming more synonymous
with the concept of ‘working to drive’!
Commuting city workers, adopt early departure from their homes in an attempt to beat
the deadly slow-paced traffic resulting form the density of cars jam-packed one to the other on the nations highways and byways as suggested in the previous post.
Despite the effort, they are compelled to
sit still and wait.
As Kay (1997) states, 'You're not stuck in a traffic jam, you are the jam.'
Consequent to inefficient road network systems placed in Trinidad, according to Kimuyu, the productivity of
the working population becomes inefficient and thereby negatively impacts upon the
economy. Weisbod et al. (2003) claims that traffic congestion impairs productivity and this is so as traffic congestion consumes the energy and time of the individual, while heightening effects of stress levels. Arrival at the workplace workers feel as if they "deserve" an instant break from that tiring journey toward the Northern end of the country.
|
| Delayed Workers Photo Courtesy: Shalisa Ali |
Looking to the left and you will notice three working women dressed in orange tops stuck in
the slow-paced traffic in Port-of-Spain. Upon seeing this, I quickly peeked at the time and awed that they were delayed for work.
They do nothing other than accept that fact and be labelled as a cause of inefficiency. Urban congestion intensifies stress levels and stimulates the inefficient state of workers.
How much work is done is questionable with the time spent on-site in the workplace.
Reaching to work late is one thing, but leaving early to reach home at a
specific time is another. Traffic in the cities tends to cut back on the
working hours of the country’s working class and this is not ideal for a
growing economy in the service sector. In economic terms, there is therefore the concept of opportunity cost where traffic congestion is concerned, that being time to do conduct a greater amount of economic activities. The theory of Opportunity cost is dominated by the aspect of choice and the concept of the next best alternative, and with respect to congestion and workers, it is time to be productive.
REFERENCES:
Hall, Tim. and Heather Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography 4th edition.
London and New York: Routledge.
Kay, J. H. 1997. Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America, and How We Can Take It Back. Crown Publishers. Accessed 14th Frebuary, 2014.
Kimuyu, Peter. 2005. Productivity Performance in Developing Countries: Kenya. Accessed 11th February, 2014.
Kay, J. H. 1997. Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America, and How We Can Take It Back. Crown Publishers. Accessed 14th Frebuary, 2014.
Kimuyu, Peter. 2005. Productivity Performance in Developing Countries: Kenya. Accessed 11th February, 2014.
Schrank, D. and Lomax, T., 2003. Annual Mobility Report, Texas Transportation Institute. Accessed11th February, 2013
Weisbrod, G. Vary et al. 2003. Measuring the Economic Cost of Urban Traffic Congestion to Business. Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Accessed March 15th, 2014.
Weisbrod, G. Vary et al. 2003. Measuring the Economic Cost of Urban Traffic Congestion to Business. Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Accessed March 15th, 2014.
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