THE EDITOR, Sir:

Recently I was reminded that, even in wealthy First World countries, the supply of resources - human, physical and financial - is finite while the demands for the use of these resources are infinite.

Such is the issue of traffic congestion in many of Jamaica's cities/towns whereby traffic demand is far greater than the capacity of existing roadways. A combination of factors contribute to this congestion, including the capacity of roadways, time structure of demand for using roadways, the condition of the road, just to name a few. Then again, road usage has increased dramatically over the past few decades a concomitant of increase in car ownership.

The consequences are devastating - wasted fuel use which can, in theory, cause an imperceptible rise in fuel costs; stressed and frustrated motorists encourage road rage and consequently reduce health; spillover effects from congested main arteries to secondary roads and side streets, a routes are attempted which may inevitably affect neighbourhood amenity and real estate values.

In recent years, the state has done little to manage development patterns to reduce congestion growth, setting aside infrastructural improvement in the creation of bus lanes as part of a bus-way system.

What is also called for, however, is the reduction of road capacity intended to force traffic on t travel mode, park and ride to encourage people to park their car outside main towns/cities and transfer by public transportation or shuttle bus.

Then, and only then, it is just possible that Jamaica will be on the road to sustained long-term development.

I am, etc.,

D.K. NELSON

butvenus@yahoo.com