Robert Johnson: Putting Cayman on a more beautiful path

For more than 25 years, the Cayman Islands government has discussed pursuing a key strategy to improve the fortunes of downtown George Town: “Pedestrianization” — which is a multisyllabic way of saying that people should be able to walk around without fear of being run over by a car, tripping on broken concrete or suffering heat stroke for lack of shade.

That, of course, has not happened, particularly on the stretch of North Church Street that on cruise ship days is packed (compacted?) with all manner of disoriented tourists, bustling workers, proud fishermen and plain-old loiterers — not to mention the frenzy of bicycles, wheelchairs, buses, baby strollers, heavy trucks, pickups, vans and personal automobiles — all jostling for space on the narrow ribbon of sunburnt blacktop.

Where government has failed to act, the private sector has stepped in, with a good plan and funds to back it up. Led by architect Robert Johnson, 16 landowners along the quarter-mile strip from the Royal Watler Terminal to La Dolce Vita restaurant have banded together to create a continuous seaside “boardwalk” that they hope will eventually link the port to the sidewalk-rich Seven Mile Beach strip. The project got a kick-start from Robert’s father, well-known auditor and businessman Chris Johnson, who owns some of the land the boardwalk will traverse.

The boardwalk (or esplanade, promenade or path, whichever you like) will include historic plaques for pedestrians’ perusal, benches for rest, palm trees for shade and steps for access to the beach — in other words, it sounds like an area that people will want to stroll, and maybe even congregate.
Not incidentally, the boardwalk will carry potential customers right past the open doors of the businesses paying for the boardwalk, uplifting property values and, hopefully, stimulating more consumer spending.

The private sector’s initiative, as usual, is far more effective than government’s purported interest in the public welfare, although, in this instance, government has been supportive of the process.

And while we’re sure the boardwalk will be an attractive addition to downtown physically, the Compass is more interested in the project as an illustration of the idea — underlying much of our editorial comment in general — that Cayman as a country need not resign itself to a future where any and all “progress” is somehow dependent on government action — or stymied by the lack thereof.

We, as independent, responsible and self-reliant individuals, can make our way through most matters in life just fine, thank you, without an assist from our bureaucratic brethren in government.

The first quarter-mile stretch of the boardwalk should take about six weeks to complete. We hope the Johnson family’s initiative will serve as an inspiration and a blueprint for the remainder of the boardwalk, and further that the Johnsons’ model of community organization will be replicable in other instances where neighbors can achieve common interests by working as a group.

If Robert Johnson’s ultimate vision of the boardwalk is realized and results in Grand Cayman’s having a world-class promenade from downtown to Seven Mile Beach, then the project will be more than a nice place for a pleasant perambulation. It will form an important part of the Johnson family’s legacy to these islands.