For the first time in nine years, the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) has recorded a decline in vehicular traffic.
General Manager of the DHB Corporation, Rawlston Adams disclosed that it has also seen a reduction in the maritime traffic.
In 2017, 3,525,657 vehicles traversed the bridge when compared to 3,599,969 in 2016 – a reduction of 74,312 or 2.06%. Adams said this is the first time since he was head of the DHB Corporation that there is a decline in the vehicular traffic.
He suspected that the decline may be as a result of the increase in the bridge tolls or the daily traffic congestions, especially during peak periods. Adams said the DHB Corporation will examine the figures to determine the real reasons for this decline.
Regarding the reduction in maritime traffic, the General Manager suspected that this is due to the slowdown in economic activities. In 2017, 1,124 vessels crossed over compared to 1,243 in 2016 – a reduction of 9.57%.
Despite the decline, the DHB Corporation received $809.9M in revenue in 2017 which represents a 51.5% increase when compared to last year.
Adams said the increase, however, is linked to the rise in the tolls that took effect earlier in the year.
