PHILIPSBURG--Additional officers will be in place as of today, to control traffic in Cole Bay. Representatives of St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), Ministry of VROMI ? Department of new Projects Development and Planning, Windward Roads, Control Unit, the Traffic Police and Minister Theo Heyliger's cabinet met on Wednesday to evaluate the decision taken last week to open up Union Road to two-way traffic.
During the meeting, each stakeholder was given the opportunity to voice its opinion on the flow of traffic in the present scenario versus the past, in which traffic on Union Road was one-way and filtered through the intersection at the Daily Extra supermarket.
The sentiment of all, with the exception of the Traffic Police and Control Unit, was that although traffic had shifted from Simpson Bay to Cole Bay hill, the flow overall was better than in the previous situation. According to most, time spent in traffic in Simpson Bay was hours (even with the assistance of Traffic Police) compared to traffic on Cole Bay Hill, which on average is from 30 minutes to an hour maximum.
According to the SHTA, the concerns of the Traffic Police and Control Unit and their willingness to revert to the previous system related to the stressful and dangerous situation their officers were exposed to, having to cover two-way traffic as well as three intersections (Midass roundabout, the Cakehouse-Union Road junction and the Union Road-Orange Grove junction) as opposed to just the one at Daily Extra.
Executive Assistant to Minister Heyliger Maurice Lake informed that Minister Duncan had recently approved the use of 10 BAFPOL (police trainees) to assist with traffic control ? this in addition to the seven officers from the Control Unit.
"With this new information, it was then collectively agreed to continue the present scenario with increased presence of officers throughout the day and especially at peak hours, to help facilitate a smooth flow of traffic for the next six weeks, starting this Friday. The situation will be re-evaluated with stakeholders next Wednesday," the SHTA explained.
"The SHTA is asking the community to respect the instructions of the Traffic Police and to remain calm and patient on the roads. SHTA is also calling for understanding during this time, because these upgrades, although inconvenient now, are being done for the betterment of this island and the quality of our lives."
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