Traffic delays remain a top concern for members and their employees. This year’s fireside chat session between President Nelson Dilbert and Premier Wayne Panton threw some light on traffic congestion: The Airport Connector Road is going to be finished by the end of this year, significantly easing congestion up into West Bay, and the East-West Arterial to Lookout Gardens in Bodden town is going to be finished several months ahead of schedule – by mid-2025.
Several other major projects will be finished soon too, including Phase 2 of the Linford Pierson Highway which will result in six lanes between the Agnes Way Roundabout and the traffic lights at the start of Smith Road, along with the new connector road between Eastern Avenue and Godfrey Nixon Way.
But in the long-run chasing more cars with new roads was unsustainable, as the Premier shared plans for a new ‘reliable and comfortable public transport system,’ featuring state-of-the art electric buses, each with its own WiFi.
When it came to affordable housing, Premier Panton said that the Government was considering higher density housing solutions, with more than single-story housing units built on Government land as a way of keeping down costs. The Government would continue to assist families who were struggling to pay their electricity bills, but the focus from now on would be on providing help for efficiency improvements such as foam to improve insulation in ceilings, better windows, and more efficient AC systems, which could all add-up to savings of 50 percent.
Sustainable tourism meant finding the right balance between cruise and stayover tourism. Moving forward, the Premier said the Government would be focusing on more stayover tourists, especially as the “Country had indicated that it didn’t want a cruise pier,” and there were already major plans for upgrading Owen Roberts International Airport, as well as both Sister Islands’ airports in the coming years, to accommodate many more passengers. Mr. Panton spoke about his government’s commitment to the development of Cayman Brac, which included building accommodation for up to 40 construction workers there.
Sustainability also meant tackling the landfill. How far along was the government with the ReGen project for waste recycling? The Premier said that, since the contract for ReGen was signed immediately before the present government took office, they were, practically speaking already locked into the timeline, and, although there had been some extensions to longstop dates, the government were, “very close to finalizing the project terms.”
