St. Maarten needs a realistic traffic plan before the next high season....or else

GREAT BAY--St. Maarten’s traffic problem is no longer behaving like a seasonal inconvenience. Even as the island moves toward the tail end of the traditional high season, congestion continues to define daily movement, raising a sharper question for government, residents, and the tourism sector: if the country is still struggling now, what happens when the next high season arrives?

That question has become harder to ignore because St. Maarten’s traffic challenge is no longer being discussed only by commuters stuck between Simpson Bay, Cole Bay, Philipsburg, Sucker Garden, Dutch Quarter, St. Peters, and the airport. It is now part of the island’s public image. Travel forums, social media posts, visitor discussions, and even foreign travel advisories increasingly mention congestion as a factor travelers must plan around, and in some cases, a reason some visitors say they would hesitate to return.

The problem is not that St. Maarten has stopped being attractive. The problem is that its popularity is colliding with an infrastructure system that has not kept pace.

The People’s Tribune has previously reported that visitor commentary on TripAdvisor, cruise forums, and Instagram has increasingly described St. Maarten’s traffic as “chaotic, stressful, and, at times, trip-altering,” even while travelers continue to praise the island’s beaches, restaurants, nightlife, tours, and friendliness. One earlier Tribune article noted that tourists planning beach-hopping, dinner reservations, or cruise return times have begun warning each other to add extra time, avoid certain roads, and prepare for backups near the Simpson Bay bridge, Philipsburg, and other busy corridors.

A traveler who complains privately about traffic is one thing. A traveler who posts about losing hours in traffic, missing part of a beach day, or feeling unsafe walking along tight roads is something else. Those comments remain searchable, shareable, and influential. They shape expectations before visitors arrive and can affect whether they book a rental car, choose an excursion, recommend the island, or return.

Canada’s official travel advisory for St. Maarten already warns that there is “severe traffic congestion” during the tourist season, from December to April, and notes that the road network consists largely of a belt around both sides of the island. That is not a tourism review. It is a government travel advisory. When congestion reaches that level of official mention, the issue has moved beyond local grumbling.

The concern now is that congestion has not fully receded with the season. If the roads remain heavy during a quieter period, St. Maarten may be entering the next high season with the same unresolved choke points, more imported vehicles, continued construction, more tourist activity, and no clearly communicated implementation schedule for relief.

Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina acknowledged the scale of the problem in March, pointing to population density, tourism activity, road network limitations, and the number of vehicles as major contributors to daily congestion. He said St. Maarten effectively relies on seven main road corridors and noted that the country receives approximately 1.7 million cruise visitors annually, another 1.8 million airport passengers, and about 700,000 stay-over visitors. He also cited 30,160 cars on the island, roughly one car for every two people, based on an estimated population of 60,000.

Government has also spoken about possible solutions. The Prime Minister said measures under discussion include converting some two-way roads into one-way loop systems where feasible, improving public transportation, upgrading bus stop infrastructure, reviewing vehicle imports, reopening Weymouth Hill to Dutch Quarter, assessing a Marigot Hill connection from St. Peters, improving the Cay Hill to Cole Bay connection, continuing traffic support from KPSM and VKS, and examining long-term relief around the Simpson Bay Bridge.

Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs has also spoken about the need to distinguish quick fixes from structural issues. In November 2025, The People’s Tribune reported that 1,810 automobiles were imported in the first eight months of 2025, compared to 1,091 during the same period in 2024, a 66 percent increase. The Minister said then that a comprehensive traffic study would proceed in three phases, with Phase 1 focused on quick wins and Phases 2 and 3 looking at potential new infrastructure. He also said the country needs clearer rules for managing cars and emphasized that potholes are not the main cause of congestion, the core issue is road capacity and how it is used.

The Minister also said planning cannot stop at the Dutch-side border, because the island is open and traffic must be considered across 37 square miles rather than only 16. He cited the conversion of the Cannegieter Street entrance to one-way traffic as one quick win and said the larger task is determining how much additional load the system can bear, and setting rules for traffic, car ownership, and where building occurs.

But the growing public frustration is not only about whether ministers recognize the problem. It is about what has moved from discussion to implementation, what is in the pipeline, what has been budgeted, what timeline the country can expect, and who is accountable for delivery before the next high season.

St. Maarten has no shortage of proposals.

MP Veronica Jansen-Webster has put forward a multi-layered traffic relief roadmap that includes immediate enforcement, targeted bottleneck relief, medium-term road network changes, and long-term alternative transport ideas. Her short-term suggestions included stronger lane discipline, filter lanes in specific areas, more peak-hour traffic controllers, fines for buses that fail to pull off the road, use of existing cameras to document infractions where legally possible, stricter parking enforcement, pothole repair, proper road restoration after utility trenching, refreshed road markings, better signage, and action against unlicensed drivers, uninsured vehicles, and unpaid road tax.

MP Christopher Wever, working with architect Wouter Schipper of DAM Caribbean, has also advanced a phased proposal for VROMI and TEATT. It focuses first on improvements that can be delivered quickly, including road surface upgrades, pavement and bus stop improvements, better road behavior, proper use of bus stops and transport lanes, smart cameras, sensors, real-time data analysis, adaptive traffic signals, and predictive traffic modeling. The medium-term portion includes reviewing existing link maps, assessing new road feasibility, introducing water taxis or ferry services, integrating transport planning with tourism hubs, and pilot-testing solutions before major investment. Long-term ideas include electric tram systems, cable car networks in hilly areas, and new transport corridors.

These ideas do not all have to be accepted. Some may be too costly, some may be technically difficult, and others may require legal changes or cooperation with the French side. But the country is past the point where ideas alone can substitute for a public execution plan.

Other island economies have faced similar problems, and none has solved them by talking alone.

In the Cayman Islands, government is moving toward a modern public transport model aimed at reducing congestion, private vehicle trips, and emissions. According to Cayman News Service, the government’s public transport planning process is targeting at least 10 percent of journeys in Grand Cayman to be made by public transport by 2030. Consultants are being asked to show how public transport can reduce congestion, improve travel-time reliability, support accessibility, and strengthen the visitor economy.

Bermuda took a more restrictive approach decades ago. With limited land and no realistic way to build large highways, Bermuda’s 1951 Motor Car Act limits residents to one car per household. A Cayman Compass report on Bermuda noted that, with only 22 square miles to work with, the island chose vehicle restriction over road expansion. The same report noted that around half of commuters travel by car, while others use public transport, mopeds, motorbikes, or other means. Bermuda still has traffic, and its bus and ferry system is costly to maintain, but its core lesson is clear: small islands cannot road-build their way out of unlimited vehicle growth.

Barbados has been working on public transport modernization. Its Ministry of Transport and Works announced the addition of 35 new electric buses to the national fleet in late 2025, bringing the fleet to 121 buses and supporting a more reliable, efficient, and modern system. The Minister also linked the expansion to concerns from the public about service gaps in certain districts and said government intended to move toward a dedicated school bus system. UWI Cave Hill has also highlighted Barbados’ congestion pressures, noting more than 180,000 vehicles on the road network and pointing to private vehicle reliance, unreliable public transport, limited accessibility, and pedestrian and cycling safety concerns as barriers to a sustainable mobility transition.

Jamaica has pursued technology-based traffic management in its busiest urban corridors. Its Urban Traffic Management System was designed to synchronize 161 traffic signals across the Kingston Metropolitan Area, Spanish Town, and Portmore, with a centrally controlled intelligent transportation system, detectors, traffic monitoring, planning and modeling tools, and real-time traffic counts and patterns. Jamaica’s experience suggests that smart traffic systems cannot fix every behavior problem, but they can help manage flow where road expansion is limited.

The lesson for St. Maarten is not to copy any one island wholesale. Bermuda’s one-car rule may not be politically or practically realistic for St. Maarten without a stronger public transport alternative. Barbados’ bus investment requires funding, maintenance, route management, and public trust. Cayman’s public transport reform will depend on implementation, not only planning. Jamaica’s smart signals need enforcement and reliable maintenance.

But each example shows a government choosing a lane.

St. Maarten now needs to do the same.

That does not mean waiting for one grand project. The first phase could be practical and visible: publish the status of the promised traffic study, identify the top five bottlenecks, announce which quick wins will be implemented before November, assign a lead ministry for each intervention, and report monthly on progress. If Cannegieter Street’s one-way change worked, government should say what was learned and where similar changes can be tested. If filter lanes are now being required in civil works and building permit conditions, government should identify where. If vehicle import rules are under review, the public should know what options are being examined. If public transportation reform is being discussed, the country should know whether that means larger buses, regulated routes, improved bus stops, a centralized dispatch system, digital payments, schedules, school buses, water taxis, or all of the above.

The next high season will not wait for another round of discussions. Airlines will arrive. Cruise ships will berth. Restaurants will fill. Hotels and villas will turn over guests. Schools will open. Workers will commute. Residents will try to live ordinary lives around the same road network.

If nothing changes, the island may not simply face more traffic. It may face a credibility problem. Government has already acknowledged the causes. MPs have already offered proposals. Ministers have already identified possible measures. Visitors are already talking. Advisories are already warning. The only missing piece is a clear, public, measurable plan that shows what will be done, when it will be done, and how the public will know whether it is working.

Because if the roads are this strained now, the next high season could do more than slow the island down. It could expose, in full view of residents and visitors alike, just how close St. Maarten is to being overwhelmed by its own success.

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