Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, has lamented the dearth of activity in Bridgetown after dark, believing it is limiting the earning potential of public service vehicle operators.
In a recent interview with Nation News Online, Raphael called for the reawakening of nightlife in the city.
“Hopefully, next year we will call on the Bridgetown Revitalisation Committee to have a meeting with them, because obviously they are trying to revitalise Bridgetown, but we see the capital as dead.
Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael (FILE)
“A lot of it has contributed to the fact that after 6 p.m., Bridgetown is totally dead and people turn more to shopping malls like Sheraton. That would obviously reduce the number of people wanting to go to The City to shop,” he said.
Raphael is the latest voice to comment on the future of the city since the Barbados Physical Development Plan amended 2023 was discussed and subsequently passed in the House of Assembly earlier this month.
The legislation focuses on the development of Barbados through addressing major issues and opportunities such as land scarcity for agriculture, future large-scale subdivisions for affordable housing, preparing for climate change and transitioning to a green economy.
Included in the nine community areas identified for major growth was Bridgetown which Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown, Corey Lane, believes needs redevelopment.
Noting that there needed to be an alluring element about The City in order to attract more people, especially at night, Lane said: “When you go to Bridgetown you have to be going for the experience. You got to bring music and culture into Bridgetown, you got to be going for the experience. This is what we’re going to do, we are going to make it a place to go.”
The MP also added that through the redevelopment of Bridgetown would also come the opportunity to create more employment.
Rapheal also issued an appeal to all public service transport operators to be vigilant over the festive season.
“Be careful operating on the roads and also be mindful that this is really a season to enjoy life and we would have seen one or two people in Barbados in my view driving recklessly as some people would have consumed too much alcohol. I would like to ask them to be careful on the roads and particularly now that we are approaching the end of the year, careful about who they have picked up on their vehicles. If they are in any doubt, leave it out.”
His appeals for caution come just days after the Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce revealed in his Christmas Message that there has been an increase in fatalities resulting from car accidents this year.
Boyce said to date, there were 17 fatalities compared to eight for 2022 and he pointed, in part to “disorder in public transport”, more so among the privately owned vehicles.
“The lack of discipline is palpable, and it is a massive inconvenience to the travelling public. We in the Service have reviewed our strategies in this area and have concluded that greater enforcement on our part is unlikely to be the only solution. Hence, there is a strong case for greater oversight by the regulatory agencies responsible for licensing these units.”
As a result of these accidents, public service operators have seen their insurance rates increase. This is in addition to maintenance costs and an increased fossil fuel expenditure which stands at approximately BDS $15 million for the 800 public service vehicles this year according to Raphael. That equates to a fossil fuel bill of roughly BDS $18 750 per vehicle. (JC)