When Roads Choke Growth

Traffic congestion is no longer just a transportation inconvenience; it is a fundamental barrier to Caribbean economic development. As congestion worsens across the region, it is actively eroding productivity, public health, and global competitiveness.

At the Caribbean Development Bank’s 56th annual meeting in The Bahamas, President Daniel Best argued that the region must treat congestion as a development issue. The economic friction caused by inefficient movement prevents economies from growing equitably. The data supports this: in Trinidad and Tobago, commuters lose an average of 793 hours annually—the equivalent of 33 full days—to traffic. This drag on the economy is estimated at 1.37 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product each year.

The scale of the problem extends beyond a single nation. Across the Caribbean, motorists spend an average of 90 minutes in traffic daily. This creates a cycle of lost productivity, wasted fuel, and rising transportation expenses.

The solution cannot rely solely on road expansion. William Ashby, Acting Chief of the Economic Infrastructure Division, noted that while road expansion may form part of the solution, it cannot solve congestion on its own. The focus must shift toward integrated urban mobility systems that combine public transportation, land-use planning, demand management, and technology.

The implications for the region are clear. If Caribbean nations continue to treat traffic as a localized logistics problem rather than a systemic economic threat, the cost to GDP and regional competitiveness will continue to rise. Success requires a shift toward integrated urban systems and greater collaboration between practitioners and policymakers to share approaches that work.

The question for regional planners is whether they can implement integrated mobility systems fast enough to outpace the rising costs of congestion.

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