A bus terminal is part of a master plan government has on the cards to address the issue of parking in Roseau, Tourism Minister Robert Tonge has said.
He said on state-owned DBS Radio’s ‘Talking Point’ Program last week that government is working with a firm to address the situation.
“Part of the master plan is to have a bus terminal and we are actually working with a firm that is doing some of these feasibility studies,” he said. “I actually have beautiful drawings, but I don’t like to talk about certain things unless it is serious and concrete. I think too long people have a feeling that there is too much talk and I am not a talk person, I am an action-oriented person.”
Parking has always been a major issue in the nation’s capital and according to Tonge a survey was done by his staff of the buses which service Roseau and their impact on parking.
“The number of buses that service Roseau in terms of all the different villages is 568 and the number of buses that are parked in Roseau at any one time is 168,” he revealed.
He also indicated that plans are underway for a cruise village in the Canefield area.
“In everything that you do you have to look at the big plan and the big plan is the master plan, and the master plan, basically, really talks about a cruise village,” he noted. “The question is do you do a temporary small building there that could be impacted by the large ways and also create more traffic congestion in Roseau? So there is a plan and feasibility studies are going to be done soon to have a cruise village model done somewhere in the Canefield area.”
He said it has to be sustainable and done in such a way that the ferry terminal business can be added to the cruise village.
“So that’s where you have year round activity, it could be an area where you have cultural events, it can also be like a mini-mall which incorporates everything that is already there,” Tonge stated.
I used to patronise the Tonge businesses for insurance, meats, etc. but since Mr. officially joined this cabal I stopped doing so. Some of my friends also followed suit. In my opinion there can not be any excuse for a fairly successful business man to get involved with Skerrit & Co. in any capacity. The only thing it shows me that these people have no regard for their country but are only interested in filling their deep pockets even more. Never mind, one day the Labour Bonanza will finish, I am just wondering where that will leave businesses like yours. You clearly have demonstrated where your stand politically. Surely you could not just simply jump ship when another government comes in and claim it was all a mistake or you had to do it for reasons x, y, z.
Partisan politics will be the death of us all!
But where is the nice pretty Roseau development model they were showing around election time.? Wyhen are they going to start on that? Haha.
I guess we dominicans are talkers. All that is needed is a statement from a government official or an opposition politician and the talking begins.i am not opposed to any one talking, all i am saying we accuse other people of the weakness we all display.
a multstorey car park could work!
What should be done is: build the cruise ship village at Canfield Airport. Whatever investment is made there would come back through more spending by the tourists. Furthermore that facility could be used as a ferry terminal as well. Then construct a bus terminal but do not build it near the bay front. The bay front should be a vehicle free zone for shopping and restaurants, bars and cafe. And one more thing, these bus drivers should be fined heavily for constantly blowing their horns when parked at the terminal. The noise is totally unnecessary.
Why are these guys taking everything to the public. It sounds like each time they sit in a meeting and someone says, ” you know what I feel might be cool?” Someone runs out of the meeting and say that this thing is coming. People of action, act! So instead of hearing about a project you will see a place fenced up, land cleared, building erected and when completed someone who is known for talking will go and talk about what was built.
I like the ideas of parking meters which would mean employing meter maids or at least give traffic police some other work because when we look at the photo above I see no bus but private vehicles on both sides. Traffic lights also help with road safety and congestion. The nice drawing he has for the terminus is located where exactly? Proper administration of the terminus would require all buses to have rfid tags. Everything cannot be free.
When you call for parking meters so that meter maids can be employed, you’re essentially calling for taxes to be even higher on people so that government can hire even more employees who contribute nothing to the overall economy.
Parking meters in the downtown core would certainly clean up the parking problem (and get us walking around WOZO). Dominicans will walk 500 yards to the downtown core from a no parking meter zone to avoid paying $1. Roseau needs a bridge toll (user fee) to raise $$$$ for WOZO improvements. I would happily pay a user fee if the money would be used to fix the sidewalks….
Garson! my opinion we are tired of your spin. According to the nike commercial. Just do it”. And shut the ### up. You contradict your self. According to your own words, You do not like to talk about things untill they are done” But thats exactly what you doing. Smh, since when seemingly almost all Dominicans are being feed with those feel good promises, and apparently most seems to believe them. boy we in big trouble if thats the norm in Dominica. RaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. A promise is a comfort to a fool. Stop it!!!!
one thing they do have beautiful pictures. so let us see if these beautiful pictures and all that talk becomes reality.
I think sometimes these Ministers are just plain bored and they have to keep themselves entertained. We all know that a Cruise Ship village would require a robust environmental impact assessment survey, not to mention costing, funding and the ability to repay loans, in additon to the tendering of the contract.
Today is July 6, 2015 and to date, not one shovel has been laid into the ground signaling our long awaited hospital, but here goes Mr. Minister who is promising two brand new projects.
After promising not to talk about projects in the discussion stage, he couldn’t help, but to tantalize us with promieses of more projects. What happened to the hotel in Portsmouth? I thought that one was well on its way to completion, minus a few set backs after only two years of construction.
Sorry ismael I meant thumps up
But ehat id Tonge talking about. Id either he hallucinating or I am seeing Jombie cause last weekend I went to the canefield tourist town that was built by Blackmore and after that we hung out at the Roseau Promenade which was built as promised. If I am hallucinating then take me to the state of the art ho d pital that was built since 2008 you hear papa
Instead of bus terminal it will be better to buid car parks and charge people for parking hence it pays for itself and beyond
Where would they build those car parks? Last time I looked,there was hardly room to walk in Roseau never mind build a car park! The idea of a bus terminal sounds good as long as the patrons have a way of getting to the center of Roseau to conduct their business. Seems to me that there would still be a need for a shuttle service to and from Roseau.
More than one offer has been floated in the past to build a parking garage over the Roseau river. The engineering is simple.
Tongue you need to go and reconsider your decisions personally.. You need to go and see why you in that Labour party thing.. You need to check yourself. Insurance you good at. Why spoil yourself trying to pretend to be an actor and not a talker. So you agree the rest is a bunch of talk. Wicked all you wicked
I always say that the contributors on dno have great ideas but those who need to hear are not paying attention. These guys talk so much.
I am becoming more and more embarass by my comrades. It is draining to kerp up with the lies and illusion. The smoe screen show is taking its toll on me and my partners in crime. Oh what a tangled eeb we bave created and Mr Tonge is our latest victim.
Welcome says the spider to the fly. We hope that Tonge and the other rookies can keep the lying trend going
The current site of the Canefield airport allows for multipurpose usage…. cruise ship terminal, accompanied by retail outlets / high end shopping, movie Cinema, bowling etc.
Also worth it to explore the building of a parking garage in the Roseau area.
I think this is a well needed facility, but I have been hearing these talks for to long now and nothing to show for it, Mr minister you said you and action oriented person, lets see you put your action into practice and do something.
Talk has been going on long before you took that office.
You’ll be talking for a while still.
Let’s see how that project will be highlighted in the budget.
Studies still being done you say.
Talk! Talk! Talk!
How many years have I heard the same old thing with a few new words in to make it look like a new idea. Get out of the way
The same lie from different ministers does not make it true. In this day and age people are accepting this level of mediocrity and dishonesty from public officials.
But Tonge has revealed something very interesting. He is basically seperating himself from the previous lies of his counterparts. While he is disassociatng himself from the previous lies he is just repeating the trail just trying to avoid the foot prints yet still creating another walk of deception.
Well Tonge you thought you can come into a cesspool and not be infected by the disease d riddled cesspool
” I don’t like to talk about certain things unless it is serious and concrete.”
“He also indicated that plans are underway for a cruise village in the Canefield area.”
Talk about irony. Mr. Tongue you just contradicted yourself. You just spoke of two projects that are not concrete.
We await your actions, Mr. Tonge. Expeditiousness will be our mantra
he said. “I actually have beautiful drawings, but I DONT like to TALK about certain things unless it is serious and concrete. I think too long people have a feeling that there is too much talk and I am not a talk person, I am an action-oriented person.”
So what you TALKING for?
Parking meters would solve your problems. You would collect money that could go back into development of the city through parking fees and tickets.
So when is the ground breaking for this one ? Wasn’t ground breaking for hospital supposed to be Wednesday past?
And DNO can you keep our kamala story on the first page please? She have more licks to get
Air being blwn out as usuall,just take a look @the side walks,15 years and no improvement,this is one rwason tourism will never competee with the rest of the region.
buses parking in town is a problem, and most of the traffic in town are because of buses ,why not move the cruise ships to cane-field and use the bay front as the bus terminal.After all the city of Roseau have had no planning because every body build the homes right on the road .
Good going Mr Tonge