Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
For thousands of commuters in south and east Trinidad, the crawl through traffic caused by roadside enforcement has become a familiar source of frustration. On Wednesday, Transport Commissioner Clive Clarke told Parliament that the problem has grown so acute that he has asked his officers to avoid participating in some joint roadblocks with the police.
Appearing before the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure, Clarke acknowledged public anger over enforcement exercises conducted during peak hours, when traffic volumes are at their highest.
The memory of the “Day of Total Policing” on March 23, 2015, still looms large. On that day, a coordinated nationwide traffic lockdown by the Police Service (TTPS) paralysed roads, stalled commerce and sparked widespread outrage. Former police commissioner Gary Griffith later described the operation as “a day of total stupidity”.
Pressed by committee vice chairman David Lee on why police and licensing officers continue to carry out roadblocks during rush hour, Clarke said such exercises remain necessary to enforce the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act but conceded their timing can be deeply disruptive. Lee cited Tuesday morning traffic on the Beetham Highway as a recent example.
Clarke said he had already raised the issue with his officers.
“It is a concerning question, and it is a conversation I have had with my officers,” he said, noting that stop-and-search checks for drivers’ permits and inspection certificates can create serious bottlenecks, particularly on major highways.
He said the Licensing Division tries to avoid peak-hour operations and exercises due care when planning enforcement activities.
“Sometimes it is necessary that we carry out checks in terms of validation because we have seen a high number of persons who continue to drive on the nation’s roads with documents that are not properly registered. In context, those documents are expired, or there is no inspection.”
He told the committee the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation is moving the division towards technology-driven enforcement, including detection systems for inspections and speed checks, rather than relying on physical roadblocks.
However, Lee argued that to the travelling public, these enforcement exercises appear to coincide repeatedly with the reopening of schools.
Committee chairman Sophia Chote reinforced the concern, pointing to the effect on vulnerable road users. She cited children travelling to school, people seeking urgent medical care and crime victims attempting to reach police stations as those most affected by peak-hour congestion.
Clarke said licensing officers rarely operate independently and that most exercises are planned jointly with the TTPS. While he accepted that enforcement often appears to take place during peak hours, he said operations are scheduled across different locations and times nationwide.
Committee member Saddam Hosein said he was troubled by Clarke’s admission that the exercises are planned in advance, when peak traffic periods are already well known.
“I would want to believe that the office of the Transport Commissioner will then give the approval, yes or no, whether to conduct these exercises,” Hosein said.
Clarke responded that 99 per cent of the division’s exercises are conducted in support of the TTPS and that requests regarding timing and location originate with the police.
“I want to make it clear for the record, the commissioner, on a planned coordinated exercise with the TTPS, does not have the authority to call off that exercise,” Clarke said.
“I can, however, ask my officers not to participate if I believe it may cause certain challenges, or advise them on how to conduct themselves if they do.”
He said he would raise renewed concerns with his staff about exercises that significantly affect traffic flow on major highways during peak periods.
Outside of major roadblocks, Clarke said the Licensing Division also conducts roving enforcement, with officers intercepting motorists for offences such as using mobile phones while driving. These operations, he said, are deliberately brief to prevent traffic build-up.
Chote later turned to Assistant Commissioner of Police Brian Soodeen, who said police traffic stops are intelligence-led and based on specific information.
He explained that unplanned stops can also create congestion, particularly during the morning rush, when officers may stop motorists for offences such as driving on highway shoulders.
Chote questioned whether intelligence-led operations truly justified peak-hour disruption.
“You’re not going to cause a massive pile-up for somebody who has a broken taillight. I would imagine that a man who is trying to avoid the police will not choose peak hours in which he is on the road,” Chote said.
Asked whether peak periods are considered before calling in the Licensing Division for joint operations, Soodeen said the TTPS could review its approach.
“I can have discussions at the executive level to have traffic exercises at peak hours reviewed,” Soodeen said.
