By MARK AYEN
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association
Joining the national community and law-abiding citizens across Trinidad and Tobago, I attempted to attend a fete in Chaguaramas on Independence morning and also two weekends before.
I am not here to comment on the fete itself — that is a whole other story. What I do want to speak about is the experience of the residents of Chaguaramas, Carenage, Point Cumana, Glencoe, and the surrounding communities, who continuously bear the brunt of the traffic, congestion and other negative effects associated with major events in the Chaguaramas area.
Events in Chaguaramas are nothing new. But at some point, we have to ask some serious questions of the promoters, the police and the authorities responsible for approving these events.
As a former promoter, I understand that obtaining the necessary approvals for an event involves various agencies, including law enforcement, making assessments and recommendations before the appropriate approvals are granted.
So here is my question:
When these approvals are being considered, who is considering the wider public?
What consideration is given to the residents who live in these communities? The businesses operating there? The families who simply want to leave their homes? The person who wakes up at 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning and wants to get to church without being trapped in hours of traffic?
How do we reach a situation where what is effectively a two-lane roadway becomes four lanes of vehicles all trying to head in one direction?
And if an event is approved based on an anticipated attendance figure, but the actual attendance significantly exceeds what was represented to the authorities, there should be questions asked and, where appropriate, consequences. If inaccurate information is knowingly provided to obtain approvals, reduced police strength or lower associated costs, that cannot simply be accepted as part of doing business.
Likewise, when the police and other authorities conduct their assessments, traffic management, emergency access, contingency planning and the effect on surrounding communities must form part of that decision-making process.
We cannot facilitate an event for 10,000 people while effectively bringing the lives of tens of thousands of residents to a standstill.
As the head of a Carnival organisation, I have said this many times: when we produce Carnival, we cannot think only about the people participating in Carnival. We also have a responsibility to the people who are not participating.
They have rights too.
They have jobs to get to. Churches to attend. Businesses to operate. Families to visit. Emergencies to respond to. They should not have to surrender the normal use and enjoyment of their communities because somebody else is having a good time.
And promoters also have a responsibility. Producing an event is not simply about what happens inside your venue. Your responsibility extends to the impact your event creates outside the gates.
So I ask again: Are we going to continue approving major events in Chaguaramas without demanding proper traffic plans, emergency routes, realistic attendance figures and meaningful contingency planning?
Come on Trinidad and Tobago — we are a culture of party and fete. At least let us be the best at it!
We can fete. We can enjoy ourselves. We can create world-class events. But we can also plan properly and respect the communities that host us.
We live in a beautiful country, and one person’s enjoyment should never come at the unreasonable expense of another person’s right to enjoy their home and community.
On this issue, I stand firmly with the people of the West.
We can do better. We must do better.
