United Tour Operators Foundation deserves credit for trying to come up with solutions for bottlenecks in safely handling thousands of cruise passengers in the Philipsburg area on any given day (see Friday paper). The current traffic congestion obviously has a lot to do with the ongoing infrastructural works on the road to Pointe Blanche, but there are other issues as well.
One of them is the way tour buses now park at a drop-off spot in front of the gas station near Bobby’s Marina. Instead of this “unappealing and high-risk location” the proposal is to create a 30-metre-long two-metre-wide “lay-by zone” at the double bridge with a four-foot sidewalk and protective bars along the edge of Rolandus Channel.
In any case, for the short term the suggestion at first glance certainly appears useful and worth exploring. It is also a relatively minor and therefore affordable adjustment that can quickly help make a significant improvement to the island’s tourism product.
However, especially for the passengers who choose to go from the cruise terminal to Philipsburg on foot, a more structural solution remains in order. With large container trucks and other heavy vehicles constantly driving up and down Buncamper Road and Yrausquin Boulevard to and from the cargo port, it would simply be best to avoid having to walk there at all.
A pedestrian-only seaside route along the shoreline and marinas situated in the area still seems the most favourable option in the long run.
