Let technology, not talk address traffic congestion
Loading article...
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Let us begin with a few certainties. First, the number of vehicles on our roads will continue to increase over the next decade. This is less a prediction and more a law of motion. Second, rainfall events are becoming more intense, meaning the same constrained road network now doubles as a temporary drainage system. Third, in our already congested urban spaces, there is, effectively, no room left to build new roads.
We should also acknowledge that many of the road projects, thankfully recently completed, were conceptualised 15 to 20 years ago. In other words, we have only just finished implementing yesterday’s solutions while today’s problems have already evolved.
Fortunately, the solution to congestion is not purely physical. The technology to manage traffic more efficiently has existed for decades and has already been piloted.
Automated camera ticketing systems can detect and ticket vehicles that block box junctions or run red lights, two of the primary contributors to urban gridlock, speeding, and many other offences. These systems are consistent, tireless, and immune to the human factors that often complicate enforcement.
This is where the situation becomes less a traffic issue and more a systems- engineering concern. With both the technology and legislation already in place, how do we account for over 1,000,000 unprocessed or unaccounted tickets and more than J$4 billion in outstanding fines as was recently stated by the Court Administration Division within three years of a new digital end-to-end system?
From a process standpoint, this suggests a breakdown somewhere between detection, ticket issuance, processing, and enforcement, a pipeline that is clearly leaking.
The encouraging reality is that this is not a complex or high-risk undertaking. It is a straightforward integration project: implement a fully digital, end-to-end system that connects detection directly to enforcement, removes manual bottlenecks, and introduces transparent tracking at every stage. This can be achieved within existing budgets, with measurable results in as few as 12 weeks and a full national rollout within six months.
Traffic congestion is already costing the country billions in lost productivity, fuel, and time. We have the tools, the legal framework, and the demonstrated capability. What remains is execution.
PETER WRIGHT