Commuting between Diamond and the city during rush hour takes about an hour

Dear Editor,

I thought I would share some information with those who are still to build their homes in the Diamond Housing Scheme.

20130510letter tablesOn two occasions I measured the time it takes to travel from the junction of 13 Ave and Cross St to a destination in Kingston. The first measurement was taken between 3 and 4 am in order to establish the unimpeded travel time, while the second timing was recorded at the height of the morning rush hour between 7 and 8 am.  Delay can be calculated by subtracting the first from the second time.

In a nutshell the commute took 23mins between 3 and 4 am while during rush hour it took 1 hr 14 mins. Of significance, it took 25 minutes during the morning rush period just to get from the starting point to the EBDR.

Regrettably, measures such as encouraging more commuters from West Demerara to use the speedboat service, installing park and ride facilities, encouraging car-pooling, etc, will only slow the growth in commuter time. Until the southern approach road to Georgetown is built, plan to spend an hour plus commuting to work and expect this time to increase by five to seven minutes every year.

Yours faithfully,
Edward Gonsalves