00:00Well, the Southland had all the attention last evening, as hundreds of patrons flocked to the Brian Lara Cricket Academy
00:06for the all-important Super 8 qualifier between the West Indies and New Zealand.
00:12It resulted in traffic that backed up for hours along the Solomon Ho Choi Highway.
00:17This is despite a park-and-ride system implemented to prevent traffic congestion to the venue.
00:22The Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, who attended the match, said he experienced the situation firsthand
00:27and noted definite room for improvement.
00:30I did see it last night myself. I was on the way to the game and I saw some people in standstill traffic.
00:37And I was pretty sure that they were not going to get inside before the game started or even well into the game.
00:43And then, of course, when everybody's leaving at the same time after the game,
00:47you need to have routes out that people can flow out. We don't have those routes yet.
00:53Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, reflecting on the park-and-ride system set up to improve traffic to the Brian Lara Cricket Academy,
01:01he indicated they are making strides, but more work needs to be done.
01:05We made some improvements, but certainly not enough.
01:08We have to be able to organize access and egress in such a way that people can, in a reasonable time,
01:14get to the ground, park, get inside, and when it's over, leave in a reasonable time.
01:20We're not there yet. We still have a lot more work to do.
01:23And fortunately, the one good thing about it is that there's space around the venue to allow more infrastructure to be built.
01:31And I'm hoping that in the not-too-distant future, what you saw last night and the inconveniences there would be a thing of the past.
01:40On Monday, the local organizing committee revealed the plan which patrons hoped would work.
01:45Park-and-ride is a system implemented by the local organizing committee that allows spectators to park their vehicles at designated venues
01:54and utilize a shuttle service to travel to the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, thereby providing a convenient and efficient transportation option that avoids traffic congestion on game day.
02:05While this was easier said than done during peak traffic hours,
02:08patrons reported a lack of order to get onto the bus at South Park and return to their parking locations when departing.
02:15Some patrons indicated that there was some uncertainty as well as to which bus would take them to the Petrochin location as opposed to South Park.
02:24Nevertheless, they rushed every bus that arrived after 1 a.m.
02:28Some posted videos online appealing for improvement as they chose to walk along the dangerous road out of a need to get home.
02:38For some of them, which included children and the elderly who chose to wait for access to a bus, it was a frustrating process.
03:08It's just complaining about trying to get home. People have to work tomorrow. This is craziness.
03:15So you had any issues at all parking? Did you get any issues parking?
03:18Yeah, we had issues with actually parking at South Park because they didn't have a proper park to get into.
03:24We had to kind of park on the grass kind of thing. Nothing was coordinated.
03:28They had no ushers, nothing direct anywhere to park, designated parking zones, that kind of thing.
03:33That was craziness. You just had to kind of face it.
03:37Will you be coming back tomorrow?
03:39Not really.
03:40Others indicated that parking at Petrochin was less congested, but returning there was a hassle as well.
03:46The event also attracted tourists, who also braved the 3-4 hour traffic jam to watch the home team play.
03:53We haven't got in yet, but looking forward to it.
03:56Did you have to cope with traffic?
03:58There was a lot of traffic, yeah.
04:00So who are you supporting today?
04:02West Indies.
04:03And who are you supporting today?
04:05Windies all the way.
04:06Visiting Trinidad?
04:07Yeah, yeah, visiting Trinidad.
04:08Alright, enjoy the experience guys.
04:09Thank you very much.
04:10Well, after beating the traffic and the wait, fans got what they wanted as the West Indies went on to beat New Zealand
04:17in spectacular fashion to book their spot in the Super 8s.
04:20I'm Sergio Dufour for TV6.
04:23In a release issued by the local organizing committee, they acknowledged and apologized to fans
04:28for the challenges they faced in being transported to and from the venue.
04:33They indicated that they are working towards improving the gaps with the system.
04:37They also urged patrons to have patience in accessing the shuttles.
04:51Tonight we're asking you, were you disappointed with the park and ride system for the ICC World Cup game
04:56at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy?
04:58To vote, text YES or NO to the number 7664886 or 7664TV6.
05:03We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
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