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THE PLAN by Port of Spain mayor Joel Martinez to turn Ariapita Avenue into a pedestrian walkway at selected hours has all the elements of a smart response to the popularity of that roadway as an after-hours relaxation area.
But the project must be planned carefully to accommodate the determinedly residential Woodbrook area that surrounds it.
It would also be sensible for pedestrian-only access to be scheduled at times that won't limit the most important role of the roadway – relieving the traffic congestion that routinely clogs Wrightson Road and the Western Main Road during working hours.
But even in the evening and at night, closing the avenue to traffic raises other questions.
High on the agenda is an obvious issue. Where will all the people who show up to lime on the avenue put their cars? Existing parking is already completely inadequate, leading to regular complaints by Woodbrook residents about vehicles blocking their driveways.
A surge in walking traffic on the avenue sounds idyllic, but it demands other practical considerations. Roads zoned for walking traffic during certain times of the evening and night are planned with critical structures like usable, regularly serviced public washrooms, because there is little communal use of bathrooms in commercial establishments.
The mobile vendors whom a walk-through Ariapita Avenue would encourage will have no facilities available at all.
Woodbrook residents have also lodged impassioned complaints about the use of their walls as outdoor urinals, and increased foot traffic is only going to amplify the problem.
Wide-open outdoor spaces for well-spaced public congregation are a worthy consideration for Port of Spain and its environs, even without the presence of covid19, which demands it.
There have been many conversations about turning the city centre into a pedestrianised zone for years, encouraging walking as a way of experiencing the city.
While the plans for Ariapita Avenue have potential, Mr Martinez should learn from the experience of former mayor Louis Lee Sing, who embarked on an equally ambitious traffic plan for Ariapita Avenue meant to alleviate congestion by turning the thoroughfare into a one-way street.
That effort collapsed in a confusion of cryptic road directions and traffic routes, when proper advance planning and discussion might have led to a more beneficial result.
City planning isn't something that should be driven by executives. Doing something that appears as simple as blocking vehicles from entering Ariapita Avenue to create a space for recreation brings with it many changes that must be foreseen and catered for.
It's time to bring in city planners to create a strategy for the project that stands up to technical scrutiny and stakeholder consultation.
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