Those who don’t have to be in the Cole Bay/Simpson Bay area this afternoon had best stay away. The tourism, but also yachting high season is here and regular congestion at that time of day especially coming from the airport and Marigot in the general direction of Philipsburg is even heavier than usual.
One of the reasons is more and lengthier Lejuez Bridge openings, especially after accidents occur during the passage of boats such as on Wednesday and – of a more serious nature – last Sunday, both related to tricky wind and sea conditions.
And then there is the impact of the recent protests in terms of motorists avoiding the French side in the past few days. On top of all that, the Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure VROMI announced (see related story) that one of the two lanes on Airport Boulevard from Sister Modesta Road to Sister Regina Road will be closed between 4:30pm and 5:15pm today, Thursday.
One could say all this is nothing to complain about because it means there are more people visiting the island, which is ultimately how the population makes a living. However, it doesn’t help for guests to be stuck in traffic rather than enjoying the island and spending their money while doing so.
In addition, this situation leads to considerable loss of productivity and tardiness, also when used as excuse. But it’s a direct result of St. Maarten’s economic growth and can thus – to a certain extent – be considered a “luxury problem.”
Finding long-term answers has at any rate proven elusive despite lots of efforts over the past decades such as constructing many roundabouts, the one-way Welfare Road/Wellington Road circle, Link One, Alexis Arnell Road and the – recently repaired – stoplights at Prins Bernhard Bridge. Most of these helped, but often only temporarily simply because the number of vehicles keeps increasing.
Car-pooling and switching to less busy hours where possible to make certain trips are options, obviously along with leaving early. And when waiting in line threatens to give you stress, remember that it’s primarily due to the destination’s success.
