Transportation

This is what I saw in the newspaper this morning. A group of movers and shakers in the helicopter EMS industry has introduced a new air medical service for Haiti. The Haiti Air Ambulance (HAA)

Haiti Air Ambulance, a not-for-profit foundation will launch Haiti's first permanent helicopter EMS program.

They expect to provide life-saving emergency services to all Haitians regardless of income.

According to the information, this new service is supposed to alleviate Haiti's dire emergency medical needs.

Haiti Air Ambulance, a not-for-profit foundation will launch Haiti's first permanent helicopter EMS program.

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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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The U.S. State Department issued on August 13, 2013 a new warning to all American citizens who live or want to come to Haiti due to security issue in the country. This new warning is to replace the previous warning issued on 28 December 2012.

The New U.S. State Department travel warning strongly encourages American citizens to exercise caution during their visits to Haiti. American citizens have been victims of violent crimes, including murders and kidnappings, primarily around the Haitian Capital.

The warning noted reasons such as high level of crime, lack of adequate infrastructure and medical institutions, severe weather and seasonal limited police protection.

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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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The international airport second largest city in Haiti, Cap-Haïtien will be named after former Venezuela's President, late Hugo Chavez. The announcement was made by Laurent Lamothe, Prime Minister of Haiti using micro-blogging website called Twitter. Lamothe sent out the tweet on Thursday afternoon (18th April) when he was on a 6-day tour to USA to boast about the achievement of the Martelly-Lamothe administration.

Lamothe sent out his tweet in French one day after a confusion that spread across the social media platforms regarding homage to be paid to Chavez. Before the tweet was sent out, it was reported by some of the Haitian blogs that Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport of Port-au-Prince will be named after late Hugo Chavez.

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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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The current rate of road accidents in Haiti has worried officials and organizations. According to the Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH), at least two accidents occur on national roads every week. These accidents have been blamed on several causes, including overspeeding and drivers' negligence. There are also drivers who take the road even under the influence of alcohol, as well as those who overload and lose control of their vehicles. The poor condition of roads and the lack of proper road signs are also among the main causes of such accidents.

Given this, the POHDH urged the authorities to strictly implement road regulations involving traffic governance, road codes and vehicle inspections. POHDH official Antonal Mortime said that many accidents "could have been avoided" if the authorities have been ensuring that road standards and safety regulations are met.

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Travel by auto on Haiti's roads risks serious injury or death. All National, Department, or County roads are in disrepair from lack of maintenance. Dangerous road conditions and lack of traffic signals and driving principles encourage bad driving habits.

All throughout Haiti, County roads are largely unpaved and littered with potholes. Mountainous roads are particularly perilous, with hairpin turns and an absence of guardrails. Often made of gravel, they can cause a vehicle to slide off the shoulder to death 1,000 feet below.

The government of Haiti (GOH) insists it has no money in its budget to rescue drivers in perilous situations, do clean-up after accidents, or remove stalled autos obstructing traffic. But the GOH's claims are questionable.

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The United States Agency for International Development has contributed in this new project to build this new bridge, Millet Bridge on the Route de Freres. To mark the termination of work on the bridge the Haitian president, Michel Martelly along side of the new American Ambassador, Pamela White, were present in the opening ceremony.

The new Millet Bridge is expected to make traffic between Tabarre in Port-au-Prince and Petion-Ville easier It is 8.4 meters wide and 18 meters long, with a price tag of 1.7 million dollars

Millet Bridge was formerly located over a ravine and needed improvement. Its deteriorating condition became more apparent, following the 2010 earthquake that caused more traffic on the bridge.

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