Dr. Trevor Townsend, Senior Lecturer in Transportation Engineering at the University of the West Indies weighs in on public transportation in Trinidad and Tobago. He points out that with a population of just over one million persons, the solutions to our transportation problems are within reach but they require that an institution/organization/official takes responsibility for planning and execution. While there are no overnight fixes a focussed approach, with clear allocation of responsibilities will make a difference.
His view is that citizens deserve to be confident that the systems and processes are available to make transportation seamless and convenient. Currently the state is subsidizing each passenger on the Water Taxi services between San Fernando and Port of Spain to the tune of $100.00 per trip and spending $M400 million annually to subsidize a bus company which transports 1% of passengers on the east/west corridor.
At the 19:00 minute mark the mood switches and we welcome Saxophonist/Educator Tony Paul who makes a strong case for pushing the cultural shift from the seasonality of our music to music which can be offered year round and have international appeal.
Tony’s training spans the United Kingdom and the United States where he attained an MMus focused in Music Education from Boston University.
In responding to a question about performance spaces, he spoke about the need for spaces to be more user centred and tailored to both the performers and the supporting public. While the aloneness of Covid has devastated a number of performers, Tony has used the time to refresh some of his skills, improve his craft and work on his new album.
Dennise Demming 