Before Caribbean Airlines, there was BWIA—British West Indian Airways or, more colloquially, “Bee-Wee”. But this acronym also became a source for some amusement, as locals often referred to its meaning as “Better Walk If Able”.
Truth be told, there’s ample reason why that reputation existed. While the airline was a source of national pride it was also the cause of frustration for passengers who were on the receiving end of its less than timely service. Even after closing in 2006 and being rebranded, some of those old habits still persist and the company continues to face challenges both financial and logistical. Unfortunately, this is something that’s not unique to CAL, as a number of our state institutions, despite being around for decades, just can’t seem to get their operations to run smoothly and efficiently.
Proof of this can be seen with the ongoing disaster that is the sea bridge. In the lead-up to the busy travel period for the Easter holiday, marine travel to and from Tobago had fallen upon the ill-suited Cabo Star.
This was after an attempt to use one of the water taxis ended in a spectacular failure that could have had disastrous consequences. The situation back on the mainland was almost as chaotic as the air bridge struggled to accommodate the crowds of angry passengers that descended on Piarco. Needless to say Good Friday wasn’t very good for a lot of folks.
The free movement of citizens, goods and services is an important characteristic in our claim of being a twin-island republic. As it stands, the difficulty in maintaining this connection drastically diminishes the quality of that relationship, especially when you include the fact that one side is getting the short end of the stick. It’s left to be seen if the central government is capable of rectifying the current situation and what measures will be employed in doing so. But considering their actions over the last few months, the prospect of a viable solution doesn’t look very promising.
There has already been much discourse about the controversy surrounding the sea bridge. But putting aside the lingering questions and conspiracy theories, the collapse of the inter-island ferry service also reveals a glaring issue. And it’s the reality that the sea bridge itself is archaic. The distance between T&T’s two closest points—Toco and Crown Point—is approximately 40 kilometres. Yet all vessels departing from Trinidad leave from the port at Port-of-Spain and travel a long and slow route that skirts the northern coast. Why haven’t there been exploratory proposals to build a smaller port that’s dedicated to passenger transport? This would not only result in a shorter voyage time but more trips because of a quicker turnaround.
Also, since both the sea and air bridges are dependent on specialised craft to function, isn’t it time for a REAL bridge to be constructed? Just imagine it… a permanent connection between our two islands. This is far from being an insurmountable task, as there are numerous examples of bridges around the world that span longer distances and in deeper waters.
Foreign firms with the experience and technical know-how can be invited to bid on the contract. And our governments, both past and present, already have a penchant for spending money on mega projects; the difference here is that this would be one that’s actually worth it.
Trinidad and Tobago, two islands that are so close and yet seem so far away. There’s no doubt that the collapse of the sea bridge is a travesty of public administration. But if there is a bright spot to this mess, it’s the opportunity to examine and implement new modes of transport that would strengthen not only the physical but the psychological connection between our islands. Scrambling to maintain the existing system of travel leaves the possibility for a repeat of the same problem sometime in the near future. And if that be the case we might as well rename the sea bridge BSIA–Better Swim If Able.
Ryan Hadeed
