Transport in Barbados

Two mini buses on ABC Highway close to the Sir Garfield Sobers roundabout.

Barbados has 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) of public paved roads; some historic, mostly unpaved railroad trail; two active marine ports (Bridgetown Port and Port Saint Charles), and one airport, the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport, located in Christ Church.

As in the United Kingdom, traffic drives on the left, meaning that visitors from countries with right-hand traffic must take special care on Barbados' roads. The adage "keep left" can be used to remain on the correct side of the road.

Public transport

The Ministry of Transport & Works of Barbados oversees the affairs of the nation's roads, highways, and the public transport system.

Bus service

Public transport services in Barbados are operated by buses, mini-buses and by "route-taxis", or "ZRs". Most public transport services require a connection through Bridgetown, although some services run directly to other destinations.

Typical ZR-van with markings indicating that it serves the number 11 route.

The ZRs (pronounced "Zed-Rs"), are privately-owned mini-vans, which are plentiful in Barbados and travel to most points on the island. They are among the most common form of public transport in Barbados. The vans are easily seen, with them generally having a colour-scheme of white with maroon, and they often play loud music or use a musical horn. A black circle on the van carries the number of the route. Routes served are often more scenic than those served by other modes of transport.

Old Barbados Transport Board bus in Bridgetown.

Buses and minibuses also run services, and they are found frequently in many parts of Barbados. Buses run seven days of the week, although services are less frequent on Sundays. The yellow minibuses are privately-owned, just like the ZRs.

The usually larger blue buses, are government-operated by the Barbados Transport Board and charge the same fee as the other services ($2.00 BDS) for adults, free for children in school uniforms or students with institution ID under the age of 18 and senior citizens. Unlike the other services, the government buses can't offer change as they use an exact-fare system.

Competition for patrons extends to the bus terminals (sometimes just a parking lot full of buses); it is normal for the 'ZR' bus conductors to attempt to escort you to his vehicle and engage in loud altercations with other drivers and conductors, in competition for your patronage. These altercations, though sometimes dramatic, are less problematic than they usually seem to the unaccustomed.

Private cars, taxis, and shuttles

Some hotels also provide visitors with shuttles to points of interest on the island. Hotel shuttles generally leave right outside of the hotel's lobby. The island also has an abundance of taxis for hire. Private taxis are available across Barbados and will generally carry passengers door-to-door but they tend to cost more depending on what the destination is.

Railway

The railway system of Barbados implemented by Britain in the 1800s, primarily for transporting sugar cane across the island to the seaport Bridgetown, has also long since been removed. Some areas such as Two Mile Hill in St. Michael or Mile and a Quarter are a reminder of the railway era, but the rail system itself and its infrastructure no longer exists in Barbados. One of the remnants are ground stakes off the east coast of the island where foundations for the rail line were located.

Given that Barbados is the second most densely populated country in the Americas (behind only Bermuda), there is little chance that the railway would ever be recreated in Barbados. Any proposals for re-establishing a train mode of transit in Barbados would require either a subway system or an elevated monorail (likely placing it along the island's highways).

Roadways

Barbados has a very good highway system of main roads radiating from Bridgetown. These are known by numbers 1 to 7, starting with the H1 which heads due north. The numbering continues sequentially in a clockwise direction, thus. Other highways known by name are: the Ermie Bourne Highway, the Ronald Mapp Highway, the A. B. C. Highway (Adams/Barrow/Cummins) and Spring Garden Highway, which is part of the annual Grand Kadooment Day celebrations route.

Driving in Barbados is on the left-hand side of the road, just as in almost every other Commonwealth countries. The national speed limit is generally 60 km/h (37 mph) on minor roads and 80 km/h (55 mph) on the highways, however in certain areas the speed limit may be lowered. Lower speed areas will be posted.

Most major traffic junctions consist of 2-lane roundabouts. Vehicles in the roundabout have the right of way. The traffic moves in clockwise direction.

Spring Garden Highway close to Malibu Rum.

In 2010, an assessment released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the United Kingdom, ranked Barbados 6th in the world, and the top spot in the Western Hemisphere for road network density.

Car rental

Car rental in Barbados is provided through any of several vehicle rental agencies. Foreign drivers driving in Barbados require a temporary driver's licence in addition to an international licence.

Road incidents

In terms of traffic and accidents, the 2010 EIU report found that Barbados had 63.1 vehicles for every 1 km of road on the island. A rank that placed Barbados as 23rd globally for amount of vehicles, by the total surface area of roads. For accident totals, Barbados placed 12th globally for road victims per 100,000 people; and 23rd globally (which was shared with The United States, Greece, Tunisia, Estonia and Georgia), for actual road fatalities per 100,000 people.

Ports and harbours

Ports exist in Bridgetown, Saint Michael (Deep Water Harbour), and in Speightstown, St. Peter (the Port Charles Marina). These are regulated by the Barbados Port Authority. Large cruise ships dock at the Deep Water Harbour at the southwestern end of the island.

Boat

Boating to/from or around Barbados requires following all International and local laws. If arriving in Barbados it is important to remember that legally you must enter an approved port of entry, which means stopping by the Harbour-master first at Bridgetown. Laws also protect the coral reefs, and boaters should be careful not to drop anchor outside of areas approved by the government of Barbados in order to protect the corals and possibly other undersea infrastructure that might be present around the island.

Barbados currently no longer has the Schooner vessel that once operated between Speightstown and Bridgetown. However, in recent years, with many heavy traffic problems on the island, there have been calls to revive it.

Merchant marine

Barbados is a flag of convenience registry.

Statistics for the shipping industry of Barbados
Total: 85 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over)
Totalling: 433,390 GRT/664,998 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Cargo ships
Bulk ships	15
Cargo ship	50
Roll-on / roll-off ships	2
Tankers
Chemical tanker ships	7
Petroleum tanker ships	3
Passenger ships
General passenger ships	1
Combined passenger/cargo	1
Foreign ownership and documentation Note: Of these, 80 are foreign-owned: Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 29, Sweden 7, Syria 1, United Kingdom 5. Barbados has one ship registered in other countries: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1. 2008 estimates.
Source: This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

Airport

Barbados possesses one airport, the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport. It has paved runways of length in excess of 3,047m.

See also

Barbados

References

Much of the material in this article is adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000.

External links

• http://www.mtw.gov.bb/ - Ministry of Transport and Works
• http://www.ta.gov.bb/ - The Transport Authority
• http://www.transportboard.com/ - The Public transport provider of the Barbados Gov't
• http://www.barbadosmaritime.com/ - The Barbados Maritime Ship Registry (BMSR)
• Barbados Transportation
• Barbados Ship Registrar, Ukraine
• The Tramways of Barbados: historical survey with map and 16 illustrations