Road/bridge
News that no provision for a road/bridge across Simpson Bay Lagoon between Airport Boulevard and Port de Plaisance has been made in the 2008 budget is most disappointing. On a daily basis traffic comes to a grinding halt in the area at several times and diverting vehicles headed for Cole Bay and the French side on the other side of the lagoon before they reach Simpson Bay could make a considerable difference.
The argument is that the matter is still being studied, but sources say detailed plans were drawn up years ago and it’s a matter of executing them. The matter has become urgent, because many regular visitors have already made it known they won’t be back because of the road congestion.
While government needs time to plan properly, of course, also out of environmental concerns, this is not something that can be delayed much longer. Just as the same government was quick to allow so much building and development in the area between Cole Bay and the Lowlands, so too the people expect quick and decisive action on the consequences, including the traffic.
The new Government of the French side has already indicated its willingness to cooperate in the building of such a road/bridge, which could conceivably be a joint project, perhaps even financed through the European Union. Considering the current congestion, most people headed that way would probably be happy to pay a toll to use the road/bridge and stay away from Simpson Bay/Cole Bay traffic.
One thing that also might help is to look at the opening times of the bridge. While separate openings for outgoing and incoming boat traffic make sense during the busy season, having them only half an hour apart, as is currently the case, at 9:00am and 9:30am is not a good idea. As a consequence the bridge is sometimes closed in between for only a few moments, much to the discontent of motorists trying to get across it. Openings at, for example, 9:00am and 10:00am would be much better in that sense.
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