The Domino effect of Urban Congestion

“No matter how chaotic they [cities] might seem, everything about them grows out of a need to solve a problem. In fact, a city is nothing more than a solution to a problem that, in turn, creates more problems that need more solutions, until towers rise, roads widen, bridges are built, and millions of people are caught up in a mad race to feed the problem-solving, problem-creating frenzy.”- Neal Shusterman

                The above picture shows a combination of the aspects of urban congestion, as experienced in the city of Port of Spain. It was taken on a busy weekday afternoon during rush hour on Wrightson Road, a major transportation route. It can clearly be deduced, from this photograph alone, that urban congestion is a dominant issue which plagues the city of Port of Spain, with respect to, not only vehicular congestion, but also, congestion of buildings, housing, vendors, waste and pedestrians. As such, I could not help but see the truth and applicability of the quote, which accompanies the above photo, to the city of Port of Spain. This is as it can definitely be argued that each aspect of congestion is somewhat stemmed from a previously existing one, with its core being urbanization. Urbanization promotes the removal of vegetation from within the city to allow for rapid development. In fact, due to development and the influx of individuals into the city, space became limited, thereby increasing the need for high rise buildings and housing to accommodate these individuals. Along with these limitations of space, the influx of people into the city gave incentive for small owned street businesses, such as street vending to develop. From these, the need for an efficient and effective private and public transportation system was birthed, in order to facilitate the movement of these individuals, as well as their goods, in and around the city area.  Subsequently, as urban transportation systems developed and increased in numbers, the issue of traffic congestion arose. This occurred as the number of available roads became insufficient for the growing numbers of cars. As such, individuals began opting to park their vehicles in stipulated car parks around the city and walk to their destinations. This, coupled with the presence of city shoppers, in turn, created pedestrian congestion. Ultimately, the combinations of this developmental process all contribute to the issue of pollution, by increasing the presence of solid wastes and gaseous emissions while also deteriorating the urban visual appeal.

                Therefore, since urban congestion seems to be an interconnected, sequential occurrence of events, it can be assumed that counteracting its negative hold on the city will involve a similar series of actions. Thus, the core of the problem must be targeted- urbanization. Though this is a beneficial process which facilitates development, the removal of trees must be ceased or limited to a large extent. In fact, there should be the development of more public parks or green spaces in and around the city area. This is because trees provide a number of positive contributions to the society, environmentally, as well as by their physical presence, as explored in my previous post. Secondly, effort should be placed into minimizing the major issue of traffic congestion. This can only be done one way; by reducing the actual numbers of cars on the roads. Since it is impossible to take cars away from their owners, effort should be placed into encouraging individuals and households to use more sustainable and environmentally friendly means of travel, such as carpooling, cycling or the use of public transportation. Likewise, another option lies in the development of larger or multi-storey car parks to facilitate cars, thereby reducing roadside parking. In addition to these, other smaller-scale initiatives can be taken by individuals on a personal basis to make a conscious effort to impede improper waste disposal, in an attempt to preserve the aesthetic beauty of the city.

After all, Port of Spain is our city. It is ours to preserve. If not us, then who?