Transportation - Haiti Observer Blog

Probably the most popular form of transportation in the Southeast department of Haiti, Moto-Taxi's, since their inception 15 years ago, have been a force to be reckoned with. Growing in importance to the point where they are one of the predominant modes of public transport, the moto-taxis have also, consequently, been a factor in many of the reported cases of trauma at hospitals. At the Saint-Michel Hospital in Jacmel, Dr. Gaspard SEM, who has the run of the outpatient clinic and the emergency department, reported that hundreds of reported accident cases were those involving moto-taxis, which often seat three or more riders at a time.

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Wooden wheelbarrow or Bouret in Haiti is integrated deep into Haitian culture, Haitian society and Haitian soul. It is not just the medium of transporting goods but is also used for transporting people at times of emergency and is also, at time, used for moving livestock and dead animals. A Haitian man pulling a wooden wheelbarrow is common sight in Haiti. Though it may look simple, pulling a wood wheelbarrow laden with weight more than 10 times the weight of the man pulling the Bouret under the scorching heat of the Caribbean sun, requires a great deal of expertise, physical strength and knowledge of the turfs.

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Cap Haitien is about to get an uptick in tourism this summer. Sunrise Airways, a new airliner, has submitted an application to Turk and Caicos Islands (TCI) Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) to ferry passengers between Providenciales and Cap Haitien International Airports (IA).

Sunrise Airways' application must be made public to permit competing air-passenger carriers to make objections. If objections are made, a hearing will be held to determine their validity. The outcome of the hearing will be the deciding factor to either approve or refuse the air carrier an operating license. If no one raises objections, the application will proceed through the review process and sign-offs more quickly. TCI ATLA Director, Tom Swann, has reported to the news media he is not aware of any objections to Sunrise Airways' planned service route.

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A Brazilian Air Force plane crashes at Toussaint Louverture International airport in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, May 26, 2013. The airplane involved in the accident is marked Força Aérea Brasileira and is part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

Boeing B707 was carrying the fifth rotation of the 17th Brazilian contingent.

According to Haitian authorities, the Brazilian military plane Força Aérea Brasileira veered onto the grass next to the runway after one engine caught fire as the aircraft was taking off. As the engine was caught on fire, the landing gear became disabled. Fire crews were able to put out the fire.

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There has been some rumors and also confusion with this information just to say the least. Haiti Press Network had reported that the Haitian Prime Minister, Laurent Lamorthe announced during a visit in the United States that Haiti International Toussaint L'ouverture would be renamed. According to the online News media, the International Airport in Port-au-Prince is to be named after the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez for his contribution to several infrastructure projects in Haiti. Haiti Press Network stated that the information was announced by the Creole service of Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, D.C.

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It seems that the Haitian government has a comprehensive plan to alleviate traffic problem in the Haitian Capital of Port-au-Prince. According to information retrieved from Le Nouvelliste, a major newspaper in the country, the Department of Public Works is planning to build major infrastructure in Port-au-Prince.

In an effort to eliminate bottlenecks and traffic jam in specific points such as Carrefour and Delmas, the Department of Public Works will build motorways in these municipalities.

According to the same source, funding has already been allocated for the project with work expected to start soon.

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In 2004, according to key government statistics, 20% of the roads in Haiti were made up of highways. According to a recent announcement by the Minister of Public Works Transport and Communication (MTPTC), Jacques Rousseau, at the Council of Ministers, that number will have a slight, yet significant, bump with the plans to construct two new highways.

Funded by the Venezuelan gift that keeps on giving, PetroCaribe, the $30 million dollar venture will erect Elevated Highway Interchanges at Carrefour and Delmas. The plans are set to start in April, and with billboards to be erected announcing the details to the public post-haste, and in the most effective manner for the people who traverse these two areas and are so, set to benefit most from the project, the two new highways are expected to greatly relieve the congestion which grows to epidemic proportions on a daily basis along both commutes. The heavy traffic also contributes to the poor state of the current roadway, as the same government statistics show that 80% of the network is said to be in either bad or very bad condition.

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According to news just received, there has been a major truck accident on Friday, January 25, 2013 in Haiti. A truck coming from Bainet in direction to Anse-à-Foleur lost control and overturned in a canal. More than 50 people were on the truck.

It has been reported that 22 passengers who were in a truck carrying pilgrims have lost their lives and another 30 had been injured. The Haitian authorities expect the death toll to increase as several of the those injured were critical and will likely not make it alive.

According to police, the truck that was traveling to near the town of Saint-Marc, about some 100km north of the capital, fell into a canal. Many of the victims drowned following the truck accident, some died crushed by the truck.

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Many people in the town of Mombin-Crochu in the Vallieres Arrondissement live in poverty. Residents do not have the luxury of living a very comfortable life, as Mombin-Crochu is one of the poor towns in the country. In fact, children are forced to walk barefoot because they do not have money to buy slippers. They also walk just to go to school because only a few have access to donkeys, which are the main transportation in the town.

When it comes to utilities, residents in Mombin-Crochu have to go by without a regular supply of water and electricity because they could not afford it. In order to make fuel and cook, they use charcoal and wood fire.

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The 2012 Digicel Entrepreneur of the Year went to Jean Lionel Pressoir. Mr. Pressoir is the current CEO of Lojistik SA Haiti Tours. The company Lojistik SA, was founded in 2004 and provides transportation for visitors. He is also radio host in Port-au-Prince. Jean Lionel Pressoir co-hosts the program Vision-Destination aired on Vision 2000.

The Digicel Entrepreneur of the year for 2012 was held on Tuesday, December 18 at the Hotel Karibe in Port-au-Prince. This year, the theme was "Building for our next". Mr. Jean Lionel Pressoir was the grand winner this year. He won in several categories such as education, tourism and culture.

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