No visible ‘turnaround’ as traffic builds up in parts of Road Town
One month into the new traffic-turnaround that has been implemented in Road Town, afternoon traffic on Waterfront Drive was a sign of congestion on Monday, July 13.
When BVI News visited the vicinity some minutes after 1 pm, there was a vehicle build-up from the intersection of Nibbs Street and Waterfront Drive; down to the roundabout by Sol Gas Station.
Traffic appeared to be slow-moving at the time.
From the looks of things, the flow of traffic became restricted as vehicles ventured through the said roundabout.
Under the new turnaround, traffic on Waterfront Drive now moves in one direction from the traffic lights heading easterly to the roundabout. Vehicles are no longer allowed to go westerly on to that thoroughfare.
On DeCastro Street — which is the road from Bobby’s Supermarket to Republic Bank — traffic also now goes in one direction onto Positive Action Drive heading west.
READ: Details of the full turnaround
Government has also implemented a Park & Ride free shuttle service to accompany the change.
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when all the vehicles meet at the roundabout its a total mess
People don’t know how to use the roundabout properly, That’s why!
Perhaps if the had finished the road markings and signage prior to implementation, people would actually know which lane to be in.
Roundabout needs to be smaller to accommodate the diverse to right, middle, left
There are road markings… people just not paying attention or refuse to pay attention. If you are in the left lane.. you go towards riteway or fire station direction.. if you are on the high way you clearly stay on the right…. what is so difficult .. and people are coming from the left lane and still going around the round about, so there are making their own lane around the round about….. THEY NEED TO ADD ANOTHER LANE!
I don’t know what you mean. The road markings haven’t been finished yet. There are still chalk markings on the floor dividing lanes. Currently, if you are coming from riteway, you use the left lane to go left towards Bobby’s. The right lane can also be used to go left into the outside lane going towards Bobby’s. It can also be used to go around the roundabout.
Coming from Waterfront, the left hand lane can be used to turn left or to go straight ahead towards riteway. The right hand lane can be used to go straight ahead towards riteway uno the outside lane or to go around the roundabout towards Bobby’s.
And then, of course, you have the messed up situation at the traffic lights whereby you can no longer access the car park by sweet and savoury unless you are turning left from Waterfront drive (no use if you’re coming from the opposite direction) nor can you actually exit that car park as there is no longer a light system for that exit. You just have to hope that a space will come up and take your life in your hands.
The only way to curtail traffic is keep the number of vehicles at zero growth. This means for each vehicle brought to the island one must leave. This will maintain zero growth in numbers and clean up all the wrecks sitting in people’s yards and on the thoroughfares.
@ what. You are so correct about your comment. It is exactly what needs to happen. You don’t have to go to college to know this but maybe they would only listen if you attend one.
True you can clean up or whatever… u cant touch the vehicles in people’s yards tho… it’s their yard so leave it. The problem is not with the amount of vehicles we will always have vehicles coming and vehicles going to the junkyard… we just need clear instructions on the new roads and that is one thing we dont have right now.
What are you saying it’s not clear
Totally agreed.
The current traffic issues will not be resolved by changing the flow of traffic. This was a dream in the head of a so called traffic engineer. The reality is that the only way traffic jams can be alleviated is by either crating alternate by pass routes to alleviate the congestion or by implementing a series of traffic lights which control movement. That is reality. This which was done is nonsense.
That’s a waste of time and money stupid stupid move just want to change the whole island with his nonsense no pull off by the banks man just a waste
cause the fools wait until they reach the round about to start switching all over the place…. another lane needs to be added by the gas station… its not enough road to maneuver
thats inaccurate. its been much better but there was an accident at the roundabout today that affected traffic
Too many cars on a little island. One never sees this confusion in places like Bermuda. Car ownership is limited in Bermuda. Road Town looks so chaotic and it is very scary to drive here. Help is needed to get a handle on traffic flow. It is stressful.
Give up your car then… You and everyone who shares this opinion.
Yes..use public transport, figure out what your intentions are when you ‘shop’ and ….and use all these ‘public service only’ placards that are once more sprouting …good example in front of the old and great Omars adjacent to Bobbies. How many special ‘public servants’ need special parks. BS
One could give up personal vehicle if a public transportation system existed and taxis were not so expensive to move around.
You realize that would mean more bikes on the road, and y’all don’t like that either. Sooo I guess I’ll get a donkey. Ohhhh but then you’ll hate all the poop around. Soooo I guess I’ll walk but I guess you’ll hate so many ppl walking around your neighborhood sooooo idk, y’all tell me.
I no this traffic turn about none sense wouldn’t make sense, just put everything back how it was
I bet you don’t even live here!
It has been much better than before. There are still some queues during peak times but generally I think it works.
@ concern. This should have happen yrs ago but the day would come when it must happen. They would have to limit cars per household just as you said it happens in Bermuda and it is not perfect but it is working. It is the only solution to solve the traffic congestion in tortola. This government would have to try it in the next round not this one.
What is the point of this news story? Anyone who drives through town regularly between 8-9am or 4-6pm will tell you that it is much better since this was implemented. Is the fact that your reporter saw some traffic today at lunchtime REALLY newsworthy?
I APPROVE this comment.
ONLY FAIR. LETS BAN CARS
The traffic is way way way better than before.
In the USA blacks are blamed for everything that happens..in the BVI pepole who are not from here are blamed for everything.
The traffic has not been tested as yet. School is out, no tourists and some persons are working from home and therefore minimal traffic is on the road. However by the time everything gets back to near normal we would have been months into it, and would have been bamboozled before we realize it. Same shyte different day.
wait til the cruise ships return, schools reopen and the complex staff returns
They are forcing almost all the traffic in town into the roundabout. Is this sense. Just wait until school opens then you will see mayhem. lets hope you never have an accident between Bobby’s and the bank. However it is just a matter of time before this happens with the speeding and people trying to cross the road from one bank to the other as well a the traffic trying to rejoin the traffic from the parking lot.
The round-a-bout is an issue. The guy that sits under the tree does nothing to help direct people.
There are a lot of bad drivers in BVI. The road is now marked and they can’t seem to understand that if you are on the far inside lane while going around the round-a-bout you cannot cut off the people in the outer lane. STAY in YOUR Lane!!
In other words if you wanted to go east coming from west you needed to be in the left lane from before you hit the round-a-bout.
That intersection by CIBC needs a light. the guy directing traffic working hard but unless he will be there indefinitely there will always be an issue. The other contributing issue is businesses need to support the government and encourage employees to use the park and ride. People should not be reversing into traffic which I see very regularly because people want to park in a lot that is full.
If you wanted to go East around the roundabout coming from West, you should be in the right lane (not the left). The left lane is to head towards Virgin Queen or Fire Station.
roundabout smaller, the right lane takes traffic towards banks, middle lane towards eastern, left towards Fleming st or station rd.
True, but that’s the wrong design. Primary traffic is waterfront to highway. Both roundabout lanes needed to allow waterfront to highway. Dedicating left lane to only going Virgin Queen / Fire Station is wrong and unnecessary
Drivers in the bvi just f in dumb 2 lanes take you around the round about you foolish drivers don’t know how to use it such idiots I see everyday
Got to stop people stopping on the roundabouts and the dual carriageways. It is ignorant, disrespectful and brain dead to think that is acceptable
This is no negativism but I saw this happening a few week ago when traffic continued to be delayed in the right lane heading to the round about coming up by Clovers.
Today after 1pm, I was astonished to see traffic backed up by Banco heading towards the Complex, from the Pier heading towards the stop light, and up the highway.
Around 2:45pm traffic was backed up coming down the hill towards the roundabout by Qwomar, on the stretch coming down by Bob’s Gas Station and down the highway.
Deciding to take the Ridge Road and come back into town, I looked down from Long Trench to see the traffic jammed in every direction.
The roundabout in town needs to be revisited by strategically placing stop lights by the roundabout.
There was a very nasty accident around two pm at the entrance to Golden Hind. Gas spilled, west-heading section of the highway totally blocked. Result – the worst traffic jam in the history of Tortola!
Hat’s off to the gentleman who undertook to direct traffic at the intersection where the two lanes of west bound traffic and traffic making the”Pasea loop” intersect. He kept the three lanes moving, not utterly stalled out! Thank you!
Need to take those pedestrian crossings out of the roundabout. They are dangerous and slow down traffic.
They should be placed at least 50 metres away from the roundabout to allow for a smooth flow of traffic.
Nowhere else in the world do I see crosswalks in roundabouts.
Those crosswalk by the roundabout especially the one by Tortola Vision Centre was built in the times of the stoplight that Fraser had put up when he was Minister of Communications. Even afterthe stoplight was removed, no one ever removed the crosswalk. It is very dangerous there.
They so quick to bash the new scheme. Around that time (1:00pm)today July 13th there was an accident at the round about why the traffic was on a slow go. Any other day the traffic been flowing rather fine. Quick to detail the negative, rather than stating the truth behind the matter!
I can recall see an accident at the roundabout around that time today.
I can recall see an accident at the roundabout around that time today.
Your reporter may have come at the wrong time because since the new traffic flow the traffic has been too fast if you ask me. Before you could have cross the road any how, now you got to pause until they ready for you to cross because they speeding in the same direction.
the thing that i cant understand with people around here
,you try something its a problem and its darn if you dont.and those who believes they know it all knows nothing.
There was a survey and lots of talk, but where is a modern public bus system, well sign-posted with an actual schedule? Why have to drive to a parking lot and take a taxi?
This system is about buying voters, not public transit in 2020. Why not be able to catch a bus in East End or West End and not need a car? Why not let tourists eschew taxis and take a bus from the airport to town?
We need forward thinking.
Look @ John & Anonymous comment’s. Same Person.
It’s a good plan but, they need traffic police for a short while teach people how to use a roundabout.
roundabout smaller, the right lane takes traffic towards banks, middle lane towards eastern, left towards Fleming st or station rd.
Those crosswalk by the roundabout especially the one by Tortola Vision Centre was built in the times of the stoplight that Fraser had put up when he was Minister of Communications. Even afterthe stoplight was removed, no one ever removed the crosswalk. It is very dangerous there.
There was an accident right on the roundabout around that time which is why traffic was backed up. I don’t think the system is all bad, I was just wondering what was the rush? They should have addressed all issues beforehand and then once the kinks are ironed out, then make the change official. The main problem is the multiple lanes at the roundabout are very confusing and unfortunately, will cause more accidents. Someone coming west off the highway then hitting the roundabout and trying to head toward Virgin Queen, the only way they can get by there is for both lanes heading from west towards the roundabout to stop completely and that’s not happening. Plenty of near misses at the roundabout because of persons trying to get into the relevant lanes.
The traffic turnaround is one of the best thing I have seen in the BVI for a long time. The traffic build up caused by the accident at delta gas station.
The reporter seem to have gone there about the time the accident happened. However people coming off the highway towards the roundabout does not stop. The rules of the road has not change. A person in the roundabout has the right of way. But some people refuse to stop and think they are right. It needs a stop sign right there by Medicure building.
Yes, not yielding is a problem.
If you are on the inner lane of the roundabout, persons approaching the roundabout are not yielding to allow the person on the roundabout to exit off.
They feel the outer lane gives them the right, but the driver on the roundabout has the right until they decide to exit off.
Another problem I see especially coming from the west is drivers on the right going onto the roundabout are then immediately trying to exit off towards Flow and turning into the driver in the left who is turning in the same direction.