With no prior announcement coming either from the usually efficient Dart Realty Cayman Ltd or from the Cayman Islands National Roads Authority (NRA) commuters from West Bay to George Town faced an early Monday (18) motoring mayhem.

Dart closed the West Bay Road from Yacht Drive all the way to Governor’s Square despite the information that was Gazetted last week and the Government who said at the last media press briefing on 7 March that only a short stretch of the road, from the public beach and Raleigh Quay would be closed at first.

With traffic bumper to bumper, Dart managed to send a press release on the subject to some of the media houses (not all were included) at 7:00am. All media houses have still to receive anything from the NRA, although an NRA spokesperson did tell one media house that there had been so much discussion and publicity about the road closure everyone must have been expecting it.

It’s like saying we are now in the hurricane season but we aren’t going to tell you exactly when a hurricane is coming but expect one some day.

So with the campaigners against the road closure gathering some momentum and two legal writs against the closure having been served, one can only wonder at why Dart has performed a Public Relations debacle at this critical time.

If enough warnings had been given Dart might have been able to show the closure would not have resulted in too many holdups for the public and that could have defused the situation considerably. Now, the people who were in two minds have been alienated and the Truly4Cayman now have a field day.

The fact that Dart has gone way beyond what has been gazette, has ignored what the government told the media, he has now lit a bonfire that was only smouldering.

“Not only is Dart ignoring the wishes of a significant number of the people, it also appears not to be able to understand the gazette. The lawful closure is limited only to the stretch of road in front of the public beach. This diversion goes way beyond this and illustrates the entire disregard for the public and for process where this project is concerned,” a spokesperson for Truly4Cayman not unsurprisingly said.

Our wannabe politicians had enough fodder to eat for a few weeks and all took advantage.

The Dart/NRA ForCayman Investment Alliance’s eventual notice comprised a pretty map and the following information:

From today [18], there will be changes to traffic flow between Lime Tree Bay Avenue and Yacht Drive to facilitate the connection of the new Governor’s Way to West Bay Road and to allow work to continue on Public Beach Park.

• There will no longer be through traffic on West Bay Road between Governors Way and Raleigh Quay.

• All through traffic will be temporarily diverted onto the Esterley Tibbetts Highway at Lime Tree Bay Avenue

• Northbound local traffic access on West Bay Road will be permitted to Governor’s Way

• Southbound local traffic access on West Bay Road will be permitted to the Public Beach parking area.

• The new Governor’s Way connection point to West Bay Road is expected to open in two weeks.

Please allow additional time for your journey while the temporary stages of these works are underway.

Please see attachment.

So how long will the temporary closure be temporary? Dart hasn’t told us and if this is possible, the NRA even less. In fact there was not one of their employees present Monday morning. Dart’s construction company DECCO supplied the manpower and took the brunt of the car driver’s displeasure.