TRAFFIC congestion has emerged as a major development challenge across the Caribbean, prompting the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to explore a range of solutions aimed at improving mobility, productivity and economic competitiveness in small island states.

Speaking at the bank’s 56th annual meeting in The Bahamas last week, President Daniel Best said the region must begin treating traffic congestion as a development issue rather than simply a transportation problem.

“Congestion is a productivity issue, a public health issue, a climate issue, a competitiveness issue. At its core, it is a development issue because when people cannot move efficiently, economies cannot grow equitably,” Best said.

The issue carrying significant economic consequences saw research presented at the meeting outlining how commuters in Trinidad and Tobago, for instance, lose an average of 793 hours annually — the equivalent of 33 full days — due to traffic congestion. The resulting productivity loss, data also estimated at 1.37 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product each year.

Across the region, motorists spend an average of 90 minutes in traffic daily, creating substantial costs through lost productivity, wasted fuel, and increased transportation expenses. Globally, traffic congestion costs economies hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

Best said that while Caribbean countries continue to navigate an era marred by extraordinary complexities, greater collaboration is needed to design urban systems and economies capable of meeting future demands.

The bank’s Economic and Infrastructure Division is already examining ways to support countries in addressing congestion through a more integrated approach that extends well beyond road construction.

Speaking during an EdgeX session titled Stuck in Traffic: What Congestion Is Costing the Caribbean, Acting Chief of the Economic Infrastructure Division William Ashby said road expansion may form part of the solution but it cannot solve congestion on its own.

“This is a regional problem, and therefore there is real benefit in bringing together practitioners and policymakers to share lessons and reproduce approaches that work,” he said.

Ashby argued that the focus must shift toward integrated urban mobility systems that combine public transportation, land-use planning, demand management measures, and technology-driven solutions.

He said the CDB can support countries through technical assistance including the development of mobility plans, congestion studies, feasibility assessments and policy-based operations, enabling governments to make evidence-based decisions rather than addressing transportation challenges on a project-by-project basis.

BEST…congestion is a productivity issue, a public health issue, a climate issue, a competitiveness issue. At its core, it is a development issue because when people cannot move efficiently, economies cannot grow equitably

Additionally, the bank is also encouraging investment in multi-component transportation solutions including public transport systems, walking and cycling infrastructure, traffic management improvements and digital mobility platforms.

For Ashby, strengthening governance, improving inter-agency coordination, and building technical capacity in areas such as traffic engineering, transport modelling and mobility planning, have therefore become critical priorities.

The division chief further highlighting the importance of demand-management policies, including staggered work hours, parking regulations, carpooling incentives and ride-sharing programmes, said these could also help to reduce pressure on road networks across member states.

Pointing to the lack of reliable transportation data across many Caribbean countries as another major challenge, he said greater use of real-time data from sensors, GPS tracking systems, traffic control centres and digital dashboards would enable authorities to anticipate congestion issues and respond more effectively.

The CDB has already supported several transportation initiatives across the region, including efforts to modernise Saint Lucia’s public transportation system and the launch of a school bus pilot programme in Grenada. Ashby said the bank continues to support transport planning, climate-resilient road infrastructure, land-use planning, transport policy development and road safety initiatives throughout the Caribbean.

“Congestion in the Caribbean is solvable, but only if we treat it as the real development issue that it is,” he said.

Regional transportation planner and traffic engineer Dr Rae Furlonge said that despite the growing number of vehicles on Caribbean roads and the continued lack of reliable public transportation in many territories, there are several short-term measures that can help to ease congestion.

These, he said include improved parking management, upgrades to roundabouts and intersections, traffic metering, park-and-ride facilities, and stricter enforcement of traffic regulations.

“Arbitrary stopping by buses and other public transport operators also has to stop,” Furlonge said while pointing to Grenada as an example of how simple enforcement measures can improve traffic flow.

He noted that in areas without road shoulders, designated stopping zones are marked on the roadway and motorists face hefty fines for stopping outside those areas.

“No stopping before an intersection and designated stopping zones about 60 metres beyond it — those are some other simple, short-term things that can make a difference,” he added.