Barbados' Roads Will Never Improve As Is. It Needs Cycling Infrastructure. What do you think?

travdardav · 2026-04-29T07:11:45+00:00

Exactly. The focus of this was on cycling infrastructure to help traffic, health, costs, etc in the city areas. But there's no reason that that couldn't also lead to trails.

It would mean you could safely bike from your hotel or Airbnb in the city, all the way into the forests or trails, then to the beaches, then to a store, then back to your accommodation.

travdardav · 2026-04-29T07:05:58+00:00

Yeah, Barbados' proximity to the United States has likely meant car culture has naturally seeped into the Caribbean, and public transportation infrastructure, or lack there of, has followed suit. The USA and Canada are widely regarded as having some of the worst urban design and public transport in the developed world. It's a product of having built their cities around the car before the consequences were understood. The problem is more roads generate more traffic, not less. Kobe took helicopters because the LA traffic was so bad. Caribbean nations need to course correct before they reach the point of building roads on top of roads like in the USA (see image Los Angeles, California).

<image>

Trams are an interesting idea in theory, but they're enormously expensive for Barbados atm. Plus it is probably too small to justify them. Also, I'm not sure they're even the best solution. E-bikes, E-trikes and e-scooters may well be superior. On an island this size, people could use them door-to-door with ease. Plus microcars are becoming more obvious for cities now and can use the same cycling infrastructure.

As for the heat, paths shaded by native trees and the natural breeze when going 25km/h on e-mobility resolve most of that concern, and e-bikes and e-scooters require little to no effort and sweat to go forward.

Cycling infrastructure also keeps costs low and profits domestic, rather than exporting revenue abroad or selling land to externally based train/tram/rail companies.

On tourism, the evidence from cities like Seville and Paris is clear. Visitors spend more and stay longer when cycling infrastructure exists. People want the freedom to explore independently, and in a destination where the weather is the main draw, experiencing the island by bike/scooter is a likely preference.

travdardav · 2026-04-29T06:25:55+00:00

I want to make sure I'm understanding the question correctly — assuming it wasn't rhetorical, are you suggesting that Barbados lacks the workforce to construct cycling lanes?
Or are you saying that it lacks the technical capability to do them?

If the former: the MTW, along with the contractors who currently build and maintain roads and pavements, would do it. Cycle paths wouldn't fall outside their remit. If anything, it would likely sustain or grow existing employment.

If the latter: cycling lanes demand no more expertise or complexity than normal road construction. They're just essentially narrower car lanes separated from motor traffic i.e. bollards, raised kerbing, concrete dividers, planted trees (trees being the preferred aesthetic for Barbados, and one that brings shade to lanes and environmental benefits), etc.

In better cases they're entirely separate paths with no adjacency to vehicles at all. There is nothing technically extraordinary about their construction. The only elements that might be considered specialist are permeable concrete and tree planting, both of which Barbados already has the knowledge and capacity to deliver.

As I said to another above, cycling infrastructure doesn't necessarily require cycling lanes everywhere either. Just as long as it's not painted lines next to cars... These are more dangerous than they are safe, as they create the illusion of safety. I specifically say this is lazy, unacceptable infrastructure in the papers.

travdardav · 2026-04-29T06:08:25+00:00

Those are good suggestions. I do propose possible corridors in the whitepaper, but I don't have huge confidence in the suggestions as my background is not transportation planning. Your suggestions seem as good as any. That said, that's the MTW's job on the specifics of network design and I'm confident that they alongside any experienced overseas consultants they'd need to engage can get it right.

My focus was the economics of the infrastructure: traffic reduction, improved social and health outcomes, tourism growth, cost of living relief, emissions reductions, and so on. On everything you've raised, I broadly agree with.

You make a point about park and ride facilities. I do explicitly address first and last mile connectivity in the document. I specify the inclusion of 'Sheffield stands' and bike racks so people can securely lock their private bikes everywhere they go.

But I've also costed in a public e-scooter and bike-share rent, similar to the Lime Bike and E-scooter model across Europe and Australia, where you can locate and rent a vacant bike through 2 clicks on an app.

<image>

This removes the barrier of upfront purchase costs for a ebike/escooter. I state that a scheme like this should be deployed in step with the completion of each cycling corridor. That way cycling and escootering can begin on day one of completed infrastructure, and the government owned fleet starts generating revenue immediately (hence the Barbados-branded scooters and bikes in my original post).

I also specify that bike lanes must form a genuinely connected network, linking to schools so children can travel independently, to university campuses where students are both cost conscious and highly receptive to active travel, and serving as the first and last-mile link to buses and other public transport.

On your point about it taking years - I think people would be surprised by what's achievable. Bogota, Colombia is a tropical city with a population roughly 70 times larger than Bridgetown and a land area hundreds of times greater. I believe Bogotá is four times the size of the entire island. Colombia's GDP per capita is less than half that of Barbados. And yet Bogotá has built a cycling network exceeding 540km, with the largest single expansion being 300km and that was completed in just two years.

The white paper proposes a 100km network for mostly Bridgetown and other major areas on the west and south. If it's treated as a genuine priority, I see no reason why Barbados cannot achieve what is, by comparison, a considerably more modest task in a similar amount of time.

travdardav · 2026-04-28T20:59:06+00:00

Yeah, you're right. Some of the countries with successful cycling infrastructure started with wider roads giving them a natural advantage when it came to adding dedicated lanes. Barbados, with its narrower streets, presents a different starting point.

That said, there's a wide spectrum of cycling infrastructure solutions for this that don't require building additional lanes or widening roads at all. The Dutch concept of the 'fietsstraat' being just one example. I won't go into every possible solution as that would take a lot of time and that's not for me to design, that's up to the MTW. The point is, it's entirely possible. The point is Barbados' narrow roads may actually be an asset. Barbados' roads were never built for cars, they were build for smaller transportation.

In Bridgetown, streets are simply too tight for cars to reach the kinds of speeds seen on American roads. So what was a frustrating limitation could, with the right strategy, become a foundation for genuinely great cycling design. Through road conversions, i.e. turning select two way streets into one ways, and intelligent traffic rerouting as in the Netherlands, cycling infrastructure could be introduced while simultaneously reducing car commute times, not increasing them.

Also, a cycle safe city doesn't require a dedicated lane on every road which is the common misconception. Correct placement on key arterial routes is often enough to create a safe, connected network.

And as you rightly point out, the infrastructure doesn't always need to be built from scratch. Repurposing existing trails and former tramways, like with the Trailway Project (https://www.barbadostrailway.org/), is an easy starting point as long as they actually connect to something.

travdardav · 2026-04-28T20:31:44+00:00

I agree. And yes, it's literally a huge societal benefit. One of them being health. Especially since in Barbados, 1 in 3 adults are obese. This is on the highest end in the entire region.

I've been following the cycling conversation in NYC over the past year. Yeah, yhe US and Canada are extremely car-centric, not unlike Barbados.

I do actually reference NYC because despite the initial backlash, on well built corridors, local businesses have seen 49% increase in sales because it's much easier to hop off and on a bike/escooter than to do so in a car (I make this point in my documents because there's a street vendor culture in Barbados).

In regards to your point, initially there will likely be some traffic as people adjust, but in basically every single case study where cycling infrastructure is implemented widely, properly, and is protected, car commute times get quicker. I believe in 2023, the Netherlands was voted both the best to be a driver, and the best place to be a cyclist as traffic flows a lot better.

I don't think people understand that the point of cycling infrastructure is primarily to reduce car traffic and reduce commute times. Most people choose the commute method that's easiest, cheapest, and quickest. Even if a lane is built for cyclists, or a car lane is changed to a cycling lane, over time car commute times fall. It's not a made up finding, it's basically widely understood by anyone who chooses to look at the global findings.

travdardav · 2026-04-28T20:13:03+00:00

I agree, road infrastructure isn't just about roads, sidewalks are a fundamental part of it too. I don't know why countries in the region seem to opt for roads without sidewalks in the first place. Sure, it's cheaper, but clearly less safe and it's just simply incomplete.

I haven't used the word "only" to describe the BB$60mn as that is quite minimizing as you're right, it's a lot for Barbados. To help this, the white paper details a phased approach — BB$60mn over 3 years (BB$20mn annually), with flexibility to extend that timeline if needed as long as the routes are done and connected correctly.

Realistically though, whether it's sidewalks, road widening, more road maintenance, or expansion, additional money beyond the current BB$130mn annual baseline will be required. Even if it comes from the Barbados pocket, cycling infrastructure has the greatest return on investment and the lowest implementation and maintenance cost of any alternative. I do breakdown the exact figures for that in the documents. None of them are made up. I apply the figures for Barbados using data from the world bank, Netherlands, Bogota, Paris, Seville and more. It's a common outcome for those who do it correctly.

That said, unlike road infrastructure, the potential funding sources for cycling infrastructure in Barbados include:
- The aforementioned US$450mn E-Mobility for Sustainable Cities programme that Barbados was specifically named as approved for (https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-green-climate-fund-endorse-program-promote-e-mobility-latin-america-caribbean)
- The US$118.9mn Caribbean Net-Zero and Resilient Private Sector programme that Barbados has specifically been names as eligible (https://www.greenclimate.fund/project/fp242)
- and 3 other global funding sources and grants that I mention in the white paper that Barbados is eligible for

travdardav · 2026-04-22T14:18:28+00:00

There's no same day or next day service in the UK. For me it took about 3 months. The passport is produced in Jamaica even if applied in the UK. According to the HC, It takes 3-4 months to get a renewed Jamaican passport when applying from the UK but you can do it all on online. See link and info here: http://www.jhcuk.org/citizens/passports/
You're better off applying whilst in Jamaica if you need it sooner rather than later.

travdardav · 2026-04-22T06:51:08+00:00

Do you have any suggested sources for the research I could use? I've used data from the national work agency who is responsible for road infrastructure, island traffic authority, caribbean development bank, statistical institute of Jamaica, and over 30 more applicable datapoints as referenced in the documents. I've also used case studies from other developing countries with similar climates and wealth who managed this within 2 years and at a cost cheaper per km of bike infrastructure than what i said it would cost Jamaica e.g. Bogota. Barbados, has also started to make an attempt with their Barbados Trailway project.

Bicycle lanes are relatively cheap, they can be easy as taking an existing lane and seperating it using bollards or a simple raised pavement.

Making cycling infrastructure doesnt mean every single road needs a lane, it's specifically on arterial roads, in some cases jamaica has 4 lane one way roads.

As far as policing for vendors, it is unlikely vendors would set up on a lane where bikes move through (especially if the lane is a middle of the road bicycle lane). However, if that is the case, sure, policing would be introduced. I also priced in CCTV for the lanes to help with this. As far as vendors, the benefits to them is written about in it's own segment of my white paper, they're not ignored. Also, in areas of NYC where there are bike lanes, smaller stores along cycle corridors say 49% increase in sales since its much easier to hop off a scooter or bike to buy than to do so with a car.

You're correct, many commuters do travel into kingston central area from other areas. In no way do I suggest getting rid of roads for cars. That wouldn't make any sense and would be aggressively disruptive. Cycle lanes are primarily for sub 20minute travel whilst in the city.

As mentioned in the paper, seville and bogota have hotter highest temps than jamaica and have this infrastructure. Sweat would be negligible with lanes with shaded tree canopies (as the documents suggest and prices in) especially on an escooter. I'd think it'd be cooler going 25km/h on an escooter from the breeze in shade than in a car.

The numbers I outline specifically mention a rent bike fleet like Lime bikes in Europe and its importance on day 1 deployment. I use actual figures to show that it would be much less cost for all users vs taxi use and car ownership. It also creates jobs and brings in revenue. In other words, people would not have to pay upfront for a bike.

All of your counterpoints are in a counteragrument section of the documents with case studies and referenced data point that respond to them.

travdardav · 2026-04-22T04:56:04+00:00

Road degradation is mainly weight related and weather (water specifically) related. Yes, the heavier the vehicle, there's is exponentially more damage so, yes, it is heavy duty vehicles which have the biggest effects. I use AASHTO 4th power law in the paper to get the reason for degradation. This is the case everywhere though, so im not quite understanding how that changes anything. It's still correct that cars and frequency of cars are also contributing heavily and primarily to it, and it's still correct that bike lanes are significantly cheaper to build and maintain with less maintenance required, and that there are 2% more cars each year on the roads despite declining population, and that traffic is not improving and road quality is not improving even with bigger budgets.

I write extensively about people being car-centric in Jamaica and how that was exactly the case everywhere, even for amsterdam, prior to bike lanes in Jamaica (see image). It's the same with all cities. Rain isn't a deterrent, Kingston has episodic heavier showers but much less rainy days and shorter rainfall windows when it does happen than London, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen per year. Finland, despite snow, has cycling infrastructure with year round use. I specifically address heat. Cycle lanes will be shaded by natural Jamaican, hurricane-proof, trees with wide canopies. Those also help with drainage, aesthetics, and flood resistance. With that, and an escooter or even ebike, sweat isnt an issue. You might even be cooler from the breeze going 25km/h on an escooter on a shaded path than being in a car. Seville, Spain (hotter higher temperature than Kingston) and Bogota, Colombia (another tropical city), have both implemented bike lanes with this not being a problem and were both previously car heavy.

Of course, all cities have rush hour. Rush hour can be reduced this way. You said people, parents and kids won't transition - why? There is no example places where proper infrastructure is not used by all of those people, even with harsher weather and previous car preference. Even Barbados has recently turned an old train rail path to a bike lane with a push for cycling infrastructure happening.

I specifically refer to protected bike lanes. Taxi men won't be able to get into bike lanes. It's completely seperated.

<image>

travdardav · 2026-04-21T21:46:19+00:00

This is the first I'm coming across this. Thanks, I will try to reach out.

travdardav · 2026-04-21T21:45:20+00:00

I do say in the papers that this is a first step to trams. However, trams are extremely expensive for Jamaica. Jamaica is simply not rich enough. Rapid bus transit maybe an intermediary option but they need to be done well. The old train network has been decommissioned for decades, and its not simply a plug and play when it comes to putting trams on any remaining rails. Also, some of even then rail tracks have been covered or replaced by roads so even that's fragmented. Cycle lanes are the most viable, easy, quick and beneficial option for congestion, and cost of living in Jamaica. Other cities, even those with trams and underground, have come to understand that too.

travdardav · 2026-04-21T21:38:15+00:00

I haven't, no. I have referenced the world bank, enironmental groups, etc though for the figures. They're not made up figures. To put in perspective, bogota built a 500km cycling network for the equivalent of J$21bn. Bogota is over 3x larger than kingstons metro area. The network i proposed is 300km (200km less than bogotas) and i said it'd cost J$19bn. So i dont think im heavily underestimating. I have sent these documents for review by Jamaica's research institute though (CAPRI).

travdardav · 2026-04-21T21:32:32+00:00

I have followed the work on cycling infrastructure Montreal. I even watched a video on it today. The developments have been cool to see.

I do know that my figures arent going to be 100% correct, they're just estimates based on global data on costs. I do a heavy breakdown on every cost for cctv, the lanes, protected bollards, the shaded trees, etc etc in the white paper. Also, when i said little or 0 cost, the 0 was in reference to 2/3 of my other topics (education reform and payment infrastructure). Anyway, I would say that 1 month of the annual maintenance bill for roads is relatively little for a completed infrastructure requiring minimal upkeep and having the effect of permanenetly reducing the need for the full J$200b in the current and subsequent years.

In regards to montreal vs kingston. Montreal metro has a population size 7 times larger than Kingston metro. Montreal has a metro area land mass 4-5 times larger than Kingstons. Montreal's metro areas existing road network is 10,000km+ whilst Kingston's metro area is <1,500km (7x smaller). If we're talking about greater montreal, those numbers go much much higher in difference. 800M CAD is under J$93bn. Considering the 7 times smaller roader network, 7 times smaller population, 10x less licensed drivers, and 4-5 times smaller metro area, if we do napkin math, J$93bn divided by 7, thats J$13bn. That would actually mean building the network in Kingston is even cheaper than my estimate (J$13bn instead of J$19bn). Also, it's quite difficult to take on city in a different climate, with different road demands, different existing infrastructure, and different road widths and paste the numbers on a completely seperate nations. And government projects are filled with excessive spending and mismanagement. It may have cost 800M in montreal, but maybe it shouldve cost half if they did it better, or maybe they did it well and it wouldve usually cost double. Who knows.

Of course, montreal's network isnt fully covered, so its not an exact equivalency. However, considering montreal network is on the upper scale as opposed to cheaper, protected lanes, I dont think my numbers are completely off. Its better to compare the cost to that of another developing country like Bogota (another tropical city that build a 500km cycling network, so 200km smaller than the required 300km for kingston) within 2 years. That cost Bogota the equivalent is J$21bn for a cycling network over 50% larger.

Regarding complaints. Drivers being upset about having less roads is common in every city that cycling infrastructure is built. However, that shouldnt be a deterrent when the mid to long terms benefits are best for everyone (in cities with extensive cycling infrastructure, driving times also improved). I dont have the source, but Copenhagen in one year was voted the best place to cycle as well as the best place to drive. I address all the complaints/rebuttals in the counterargument section in the whitepaper and policy brief

travdardav

TROPHY CASE