The Ministry of Works and Utilities will soon install cameras on 80 intersections throughout New Providence to study traffic flow and make necessary improvements with the data collected, revealed Minister of Public Works and Utilities Alfred Sears yesterday.
“There’s also major traffic control and management infrastructure being established at 80 intersections on New Providence, where cameras would be set to monitor the flow of traffic and enable the ministry of works to better facilitate the smooth flow of traffic in New Providence, collect data about the road usage and ensure a more rational and efficient use of our streets for vehicular traffic,” he said in the House of Assembly during his contribution to a resolution thanking the governor general for reading the Speech from the Throne.
The Ministry of Works and Utilities began a traffic management project in September 2020 by upgrading traffic signals throughout the capital. At the time, officials said there were 40 traffic signals on the island that were more than 30 years old.
Sears added that formal traffic studies will continue with the aim of reducing traffic congestion across the island.
“There are also a number of studies being done, some of which are in collaboration with the IDB with respect to traffic at various locations of New Providence,” he said.
“These studies will include a review of the building code. The Bahamas was one of the first in the Caribbean to develop a building code in 1973, but the most recent revision was in 2003 under then-Minister of Works Bradley Roberts. With the monster hurricanes and the increased affects of global warming, there needs to be a further revision and the government has undertaken a review of the building code. An international consultant is being identified and will begin that process, so that our building code can provide more resilience.”
