On the proposed Ogle-Diamond Road Link, I cannot help but feel a bit crestfallen. In concept it seems to be a good idea – connecting the coast to the bank at the provisional edge of the conservancy.
A carriageway such as this would indeed enable traffic to optimise itself, getting to and from the coast in a smarter way. New opportunities come about as a result of reduced transit times and so on. The economic impact of a road such as this one is incalculable; I do not disagree with that.
The issue I take with the Ogle-Diamond Road Link is that it appears to me to be unaware of its own scale. As I listen to stories of city planning from other parts of the world, parts that have learned by making many mistakes; as I think of urban planning in the context of this exciting blank sheet of paper; surmise about the future of inter-regional commerce, and as I review (albeit dated) satellite imagery, I tend to see the Ogle-Diamond Road Link as just a four-lane ‘major road’ being cast in the role of a highway.
I am aware that our planners can see something of this too, as they plot connector roads from the East Bank toward this road link. It makes sense. There should be an inter-state highway connecting Linden with the Coast, at which point an interchange allows us to head west on a flyover toward a bridge (or several) over the Demerara; or head east toward Suriname, staying ‘high’, exiting only onto collector or arterial roads.
I presented this well-known principle of roadway construction in a letter to the Editor published on Sep 13 under the title “Road hierarchy is fundamental to city planning and traffic management”.
Planners, as far as I am aware, all the way back to “Burnham’s time”, had conceived of such an interstate, the manifestation being Linden-Soesdyke, which was set up with the principles of road hierarchy in mind. You can see that Linden-Soesdyke sort of terminates at a perfect right angle, leading into Linden. Taking the road hierarchy view, that is clearly a setup for a highway exit at that very junction.
Linden-Soesdyke is to be the spinal column of the Great Project, running northbound and south, exiting west for now into the city of Linden, and later beyond.
Editor, a real highway is something we need. From it, other roads would be correctly organised. Accidents would be reduced, because people would understand the difference between high-speed and low-speed driving. Trucking between the multiplex of future port facilities would become intelligent and safe. Drivers would finally be able to properly contextualise inner city features like the roundabout – the best way to junction. The cities would be made right, but only if road hierarchy is adhered to.
We need to remember this rule: no property development alongside highways or future highways.
Editor, this is something of the future I live in, and as I write this, I am left to wonder who else is with me.
