THE creation of more dedicated bus and high occupancy lanes to encourage greater use of public transportation and car pooling during peak hour are among new initiatives being proposed to address traffic congestion in some sections of Kingston, the Jamaican capital.

Among the corridors where bus lanes are being considered are Orange Street, from Harbour to Torrington Avenue; King Street, from Parade to Ocean Boulevard; and Washington Boulevard and Dunrobin Avenue, from Molynes Road to Constant Spring Road.

Transport Minister Mike Henry said details for the high occupancy lanes were being worked out and would be made public as soon as they were finalised.

It is likely, however, that a motor car must be transporting a minimum of either three or four people, including the driver, to be able to use these lanes.

In addition, the transport minister said the budget has also been approved for work to begin shortly on the expansion of several major roads in the city.

"We are doing a comprehensive traffic management programme for Kingston for this year where we will be dealing with some eight critical corridors in the Corporate Area," Henry said.

The eight major corridors include, Hagley Park Road, Barbican and East Kings House Roads, Lady Musgrave Road, Old Hope Road, Washington Boulevard and Dunrobin Avenue, Constant Spring Road and Shortwood Road.

The minister said the road widening programme was decided on following a comprehensive traffic study of the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR), which was conducted by the National Works Agency (NWA).

The study, Henry said, involved an examination of all the major corridors in the city, including travel time and delay surveys, along with capacity analysis of more than 350 intersections.

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