TRAFFIC congestion has emerged as a major development challenge across the Caribbean, prompting the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to explore a range of solutions aimed at improving mobility, productivity and economic competitiveness in small island states.

Speaking at the bank’s 56th annual meeting in The Bahamas last week, President Daniel Best said the region must begin treating traffic congestion as a development issue rather than simply a transportation problem.

“Congestion is a productivity issue, a public health issue, a climate issue, a competitiveness issue. At its core, it is a development issue because when people cannot move efficiently, economies cannot grow equitably,” Best said.