Public warms to East End port

More than 60 per cent of the 485 respondents to last week’s caycompass.com online poll think in the long term the Port Authority cargo dock should be moved from where it is now in George Town Harbour.

The largest segment of voters – 199 people or 41.1 per cent – think that the East End district, where developer Joe Imparato is proposing to build a multiuse seaport, is the best place for a new cargo dock. That figure is up 5.5 per cent from April of this year, when a similar poll found 35.6 per cent of the respondents in support of moving the dock to the Eastern districts.

“It looks so ugly where it is now,” said one person. “It’s not good for Cayman at all.”

“Long term, this is the best place for it,” said someone else. “It’s past time to move some major infrastructure out of George Town.”

“East End is a good place to put it,” said another respondent. “It will benefit people in East End.”

“It will bring the congestion out of George Town and help the economy,” said someone else.

“Move the cargo port east and keep the tourist port in George Town,” said one person.

The second largest segment of respondents – 168 people or 34.6 per cent – thought the cargo port should remain right where it is now. This figure was down 2.9 per cent from the poll taken in April.

“The reefs are already damaged in George Town Harbour,” said one person. “Why would you go to another district to destroy their reef protection? Make improvements to what already exists; that way the cost of trucking cargo does not increase and no other reef system is ripped apart to cut ocean bed channels deep enough to handle cargo ships. Other countries have shift work that takes place at night without paying overtime wages. Issue new contracts that reflect night work as the normal hours for staff.”

“Why change something that is working well,” said someone else.

“Do not mess up the great diving East End has,” said another respondent. “It’s special.”

“The farther away that it is from the business community that it services, the higher the trucking fees,” said one person.

Fifty-four people – 11.1 per cent – thought the cargo port should be moved a little farther north in George Town, to where it was proposed to go under the People’s Progressive Movement government last year. This figure was up slightly – 1.3 per cent – over the poll results in April.

“If the United Democratic Party had continued with [PPM Cabinet Minister Charles Clifford’s] plan, the project would have been under way and at least one cruise pier would have been completed by now,” said one respondent. “That would have prevented the projected 25 per cent drop in cruise tourism in 2011.”

“Moving the cargo dock to East End would result in more huge trucks on the road, a waste of fuel and certainly even higher prices,” said another person.

Thirty-nine people – 8 per cent – thought the cargo port should be moved in the North Sound somewhere. This figure was down 4 per cent over the poll results in April.

Twenty-five people – 5.2 per cent – responded “I don’t know” to the question. Two of those respondents offered other possible locations for the cargo port.

“South Sound would be a great place for the dock,” said one person. “The George Town dock should be moved.”

“Spotts,” said another respondent. “It is already being used, so it just needs a little improvement.”

Next week’s poll