Mayor says lanes “not necessary;” traffic further down Albert Street “will help discourage crime”
A part of the master plan for renovation of Downtown Belize City includes the closure of the lanes between Brodies and Battlefield Park, the Battlefield Park and Belize Bank, and Belize Bank and Mule Park.
That will involve the eradication of three lanes that seem to be vital connections between Albert and Regent Streets for downtown traffic. Concerned citizens, drivers in particular, want to know how those changes will affect them.
We spoke to Mayor Darrell Bradley today, Monday, who said that the changes will not adversely affect downtown traffic, but will actually allow traffic in the area to move more freely. He said that the lanes that will be closed are not necessary.
“Our analysis suggests that these roads are not essential,” he said. “They may seem as if they are essential, but when the whole plan is implemented, it will actually result in a freeing up of some of the traffic.”
The Mayor said that one of the reasons for closing the lanes is that they are trying to encourage more traffic along the southern part of Albert Street, near the area where Anglican Cathedral is located. He explained that the area is not usually busy with traffic, and several crimes have occurred in the area due to the lack of attention there.
“What we see is if we are able to close these roads, we would encourage people to drive all the way around,” he said.
“And by having more traffic around that area, you would bring more business attention to that area, and it should have an effect on the crime situation in that area and it should bring up the commercial atmosphere,” the Mayor further explained.
Another reason for the closure is to encourage more pedestrians in the Downtown area.
“When we are closing off these streets, it’s not that we are barring access; we are barring access to vehicles and encouraging access for pedestrians,” he said. “We are encouraging the area as being a commercial zone, and this is in line with the master plan project which has been developed three years ago.”
Another significant part of this change is the relocation of the bus stop that is currently next to the Supreme Court. The bus stop will be moved to a new permanent location on West Canal.
The Mayor said that this is going to alleviate a lot of traffic congestion on Albert and Regent Streets, promoting a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and promoting a business atmosphere.
“If we are able to do this, a lot of the traffic will go to the back streets and that actually goes to lift the commercial character of the area; it’s going to make it more pedestrian-friendly and it’s going to encourage a spreading out of the business atmosphere for the benefit of the entire downtown area,” he said.
Mayor Bradley said the reassignment of bus routes will still allow the buses to access all their major pick-up points in the downtown area. It will also benefit people who are doing business on the back streets, as the bus stop on the canal will be more convenient for them to access. The only major change will be where the buses park, and that they will no longer have to use the narrow lanes. These changes are several months in the future, though, as upgrades are still underway.
In addition to these downtown changes, the Mayor said that all the streets in Downtown Belize City will be upgraded. Upgrades on the Commercial Center and the establishment of a commercial free zone are also a part of the master plan for the area, and are scheduled to begin within a few months.
The Mayor said a complete analysis of the downtown area has been done, and there is no doubt that the changes in traffic flow will work. He added that the business owners and taxi operators from the downtown area have seen the design for upgrades and traffic flow in the area, and there were no objections to the plans.