1. Introduction

A daily morning feature in Rose Hill on working days is the clogging of traffic at the two roundabouts by the CEB office and the slow moving traffic along the main arterial corridor of Vandermeersch Avenue. Vehicles from the directions of John Kennedy Street and from Rose Hill centre roundabout and buses generated by the Margeot Bus stand get entangle with each other at the CEB roundabouts. For its part, the commuter vehicular flow along Vandermeersch Avenue is hampered by cross traffic generated by school and by the Margeot Bus Stand. This leads to traffic conflicts at sensitive parts of the road network, resulting in bottlenecks and traffic jams. It further exacerbates nerves of drivers on feeder roads to Vandermeersch Avenue.

This paper proposes a Traffic Management Scheme that purports to increase the efficiency of the traffic system, improve the fluidity of the traffic flow at the CEB roundabouts and along Vandermeersch Avenue as well as improve journey to work times for car and bus commuters alike. The scheme would involve access restrictions to Margeot Bus Stand for Port Louis bound buses using the bus stand as an intermediary stop. A  bus stop relocation is recommended. This would be supplemented with right turn prohibitions for school traffic along Vandermeersch Avenue.

2. Commuter Traffic Converging on Ebene Access Road

Vandermeersch Avenueacts as a main arterial corridor for the conveyance of commuter traffic from the outskirts of Rose Hill and Beau Bassin proceeding towards Ebene/Port Louis. The main flow is along Vandermeersch Avenue with important feeder flows from adjoining residential areas and along Malartic, Kennedy Streets and traffic from the direction of Rose Hill centre roundabout. The operational problems arising of these flows are compounded by buses generated by the Margeot Bus stand. The bulk of this  morning traffic converge at the two close spacing roundabouts by the CEB office before proceeding along Ebene Access Road towards Ebene-Reduit-Port Louis.

The congregation of these separate streams of traffic towards a single sensitive point, the CEB roundabouts, leads to gridlocks and hold ups. A solution that may be sought would be to reduce the volume of this converging traffic.

3. Traffic Flow Conflict along Vandermeersch Avenue

The single major impediment to a smoother traffic flow along Vandermeersch Avenue is the large traffic generated by Queen Elizabeth College. It does look incongruous, from a traffic point of view, that a car interrupts a major traffic flow along Vandermeersch Avenue to enter the premises of the college, to drop off a pupil and to return a minute later, disturbing the traffic flow once again. Such traffic movement becomes all the more disrupting when the flow along Vandermeech has to be constantly stopped in both directions to allow right turning cars coming from the direction of the bus stand to enter the college premises. There could be more than 100 cars between 0715 and 0815 hours coming from the direction of the bus stand and wishing to turn right on to Queen Elizabeth College. This entails a disruption to the traffic flow on Vandermeersch Avenue almost every 30 seconds. The flow is again disturbed with the returning cars.

Additionally in terms of manpower resources this single QEC entrance requires the presence of two Police Officers, one to manage the adjoining pedestrian crossover and the other to service the entrance and egress of cars.

A solution proposed would be to reduce the disruptive nature of the conflicting traffic at this point.

4. Reducing Bus Flow at CEB Roundabouts

A solution to the traffic entanglement at the CEB roundabouts would be to reduce the bus flow at this location. During the morning peak period some 300 buses must be entering and again exiting Margeot Bus Stand each time using the CEB roundabouts

Of the different bus operators, the Rose Hill Transport (RHT) and the Individual Bus Operators use the bus stand as a bus terminus (destinations and origins of bus trips). On the other hand the National Transport Corporation (NTC) and the United Bus Service (UBS) Port Louis bound buses use the bus stand as an intermediary stop only; entering the bus stand after having dropped off passengers, only to pick up Port Louis bound passengers.

Such a large bus flow entering and exiting the bus stand clogs the CEB roundabouts. Additionally, the several buses stopping on the bus alighting lane result in bus queues spilling back, with the knock-on effect of upstream congestion at the Rose Hill centre roundabout.

It is being contended that removing NTC and UBS buses bound for Port Louis from the bus stand should significantly reduce the bus flow entering and exiting via the CEB roundabouts. It is reckoned that this may represent as much as some 65 buses during the peak hour or virtually a bus every minute.

 However removing these buses should not unduly affect Port Louis direction bound passengers at the stand. Nor should the NTC or the UBS be adversely prejudiced vis-a-vis RHT buses. Further an alternative bus stop for the NTC and UBS Port Louis bound buses should provide intending passengers with the convenience of choice between the bus stop and the bus stand. This means that the bus stopping site should be closed to Margeot Bus Stand. Furthermore the stopping site should allow free flow of other vehicular traffic.

The best site that satisfies the above characteristics is the car parking bays between the junctions of Inkerman Street and Prince De Galles Street with the Royal Road, i.e. between Coin Ideal Restaurant and Magasin Cordon Rouge.

The car parking bays could be converted to a bus stop between 0700-0900 hours daily during working days. The bank, restaurant and shops along this strip of road would not be inconvenienced as they start business as from 0900 hours.

This strip could accommodate three buses at a time and could be used exclusively by NTC/UBS for alighting and picking passengers for their Port Louis direction bound passengers. On the other hand, RHT buses exiting Margeot Bus Stand could proceed along Vandermeersch Avenue towards Beau Bassin for their regular Port Louis bound services.

5. Reducing Traffic Conflicts along Vandermeersch Avenue

Car commuters proceeding along Vandermeersch Avenue do feel the difference in traffic flow whenever the Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) is on an off day. On school days, the free flow of traffic is acutely hindered by right turning cars coming from the direction of the bus stand onto the QEC road. The Scheme proposes that this right turning traffic onto QEC road be prohibited during the morning peak. Ditto, there should be no right turns for vehicles exiting QEC road during the peak hour. Exceptions would be made for School Buses.

Left turning traffic entering and exiting QEC road would continue to be allowed. It is believed that, over time, the pupils would be dropped off at the stopping bays by the CEB roundabouts and use the Police manned pedestrian crossover at QEC entrance. Vehicles could also proceed along Royal road, Malartic Street onto Vandermeersch and turn left onto QEC. Alternatively such vehicles could proceed via Dr Roux Street and drop off the pupils on Rochecoute Street just by the pedestrian crossover. These streets could be made unidirectional during this peak period.

6. Conclusions

The Traffic Management Scheme proposed would go a long way to lighten the areas of traffic conflicts at the CEB roundabouts, at the entrance of QEC and to some extent at the Rose Hill centre roundabout. Car commuters should benefit from less traffic hold up situations. Port Louis direction bound buses currently take some 10 to 15 minutes to get into and out of the bus stand. Bus passengers as well should benefit from a reduction in their journey time.

Dr Raj DALIAH

rdaliah@nesc.mu