Driving in Trinidad and Tobago

There are a number of things to look out for when driving in Trinidad (and maybe the observations below are true for Tobago too, I really don't have enough driving experience on the twin island).

Firstly, when you are sitting at a red traffic light and your light goes green.... NEVER assume that the cross-traffic will stop promptly. "Busting the lights" is a favourite Trini pass-time here.

Secondly, the Government decisions against developing a significant rail/tram public transportation system, but instead concentrating on private vehicle ownership, roads, and mini-bus 'Maxi Taxi' as an infrastructure has grave consequences: Unlicensed taxis and Maxi Taxis stop ANYWHERE, at ANY TIME. This turns what would otherwise be a six lane highway (Cocorite for example) into a 4-lane, and sometimes 2-lane highway at rush hours, due to the indiscriminate stopping and inconsiderate actions of the taxis and private cars along the left lanes of a major highway at times. This also turns the shoulders of the major highways, like CR Highway and UB Highway, in to stopping places for picking up and dropping off passengers, again anywhere any time.

Next, the lax inspection of vehicles and the lax enforcement of driving licence age limits, means that you have octogenarians, driving 40+ year old cars, at 40kph, sharing the road with the general motoring public travelling at 80kph, and the racers weaving in and out of the other traffic travelling at 130+kph....

...Unless it is rush hour: Of course at rush hour, nothing travels at 130kph. Especially not on any of the 5 or so major roads into the Capital City. The Eastern Main Road, the Western Main Road, Maraval Road, Lady Young Road, and the Churchill Roosevelt Highway/Beetham Highway, all crawl. I see no actions or experiments by the authorities to try to improve this occurrence. School holidays are somewhat of a relief to the long, slow moving lines of traffic. I don't see any attempt to create Clearways (no parking/no stopping/ no picking up or dropping off, no business entrances or exits), or changing the timing of the traffic lights, or building flyovers.

What is more, the Government seems blind to the ongoing encroachment onto the highways by new buildings, fences, walls and ramps. One famous example is Wrightson Road westbound near Colville. Wrightson merges from 3 lanes into 2 lanes, and then 50 metres later opens out to 4 lanes. The land on the left of the road has been vacant for years, but is now being built on, with a building right up against the property line, preventing any action by the government to acquire land to relieve the pinch point.

Though driving etiquette is good, there are a small minority who make it miserable for the rest of us. Doing anything they possibly can to get one car-length further ahead in the slow moving traffic. Driving on the shoulders is a favourite. And then when the shoulder disappears, they expect to be let into the traffic lanes?

And when approaching a red light, those drivers who take the exit ramp, negotiate the kerbs or jersey barriers on the cross road, swing round and rejoin the main road ahead of the patiently waiting traffic. Blatantly ignoring the directional signs and warnings. Diego Martin Highway at Crystal Stream. Wrightson Road at Ana Street/Port entrance. And many others along the CR Highway.

The Government (Ministry of Works and Infrastructure) seems to be powerless over the Utilities to align their manholes and drains as the roads are resurfaced. In Jamaica for example, there is a byelaw which forces the water authority and the telecom companies to raise their manholes on demand by the MOWI. Here in Trinidad, the drain covers and telecom manholes (and some electricity manholes), are often 6-12cm below the grade. (below the surface of the road). This issue is made even more acute by the indiscriminate paving (yes I think of it as a BAD thing), where the MOWI just lays more asphalt on TOP of the old road surface, without milling off the top layer of the old road surface. So the road carriageways are now 12 cm above the gutters, and 12 cm above the telecom manholes!! And may I say, the road surfaces seem to be rising at a rate of about 4cm every ELECTION year ;-) .

In some areas, the local authorities have given up on fixing this, and now they PAINT white markings around the worst manholes and drains. A classic example, (and I am sure people travel from all over the country to see it) is Delhi Street in St James. The manholes and drains along that road, are precisely in line with where the vehicle left wheel should be. So, as people drive along Delhi Street, they keep veering their vehicles to right or left to avoid the massive "potholes"!! Either mill off the top layer before laying the new asphalt, or force the telecom companies and others to raise their manholes! (Subsidise the costs, and give them sufficient notice before the resurfacing begins)!!

Given the geology of the country, where oil and gas are abundant, I think it is quite common to have land slips and subsidence. This affects many of the roads outside the area of the Capital City. Or maybe it is just shoddy workmanship. Little appears to be done to correct a lot of these. It is a while since I drove from Princes town to Mayaro, but my last trip along that road closely resembled many roller coaster rides!

Oh, on that topic: Shoddy design. Who build a major 4-lane highway, without DRAINAGE ? Case in point,... the Diego Martin Highway. After it rains, water pools along the central median, and remains for DAYS, causing half the right lane to be unusable, and causing traffic to swerve to the left lane to miss the deep standing water. And the shame is,... there is a massive gully right next to the road! A simple engineering feat to add a drain along this road. But for newcomers,... just watch out for standing water for a day or so after heavy rain.

So, please watch out for the glaring infrastructure mistakes which will have you scratching your head and chuckling as you navigate around this beautiful country. And be mindful of those who are in too much of a hurry and seem desperate to 'meet their maker' sooner rather than later.