Parade rehearsal brings gridlock, chaos around Savannah

Traffic ground to a halt around the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain as protective and emergency services conducted their first parade rehearsal since 2024 for Independence Day. The practice involved the Police Service, Prison Service, Traffic Branch, and cadet organizations, blocking roads near the National Academy for the Performing Arts and causing congestion.

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If I had known they were doing this I would have taken an alternate route. This traffic just spring up just so. Like nobody knew they were going to do all this today.

Motorists expressed frustration over the lack of advance notice. "If I had known they were doing this I would have taken an alternate route. This traffic just spring up just so. Like nobody knew they were going to do all this today," said Terri-Ann Solozano, a resident of Arima. Another commuter, who identified himself only as Jason, stated he would miss an appointment due to the delays. "This is madness. They come up doing all this, and the public had to find out while on the road," he lamented, adding that more could have been done to inform the public through social media.

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This is madness. They come up doing all this, and the public had to find out while on the road. In this day and age of WhatsApp and social media, it have so many ways to have pushed this and make the public aware. I not saying that they didn’t, but they clearly didn’t do enough.

Despite the disruption, several individuals welcomed the preparations for the Independence Day celebrations. "Listen, we didn’t have one last year. So I’m glad to see that they are getting ready this year," explained Russell Barker. He emphasized the importance of such events for national pride and remembering the nation's history. Commuters also noted the positive sight of various contingents, including male and female personnel from the national security apparatus, participating in the rehearsals. Joan, another resident, particularly enjoyed seeing the horses, cadets, and those carrying bibles, finding it "interesting and a good feeling" that showcased national spirit.

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Listen, we didn’t have one last year. So I’m glad to see that they are getting ready this year. Some people may think of this as a small thing. But things like this are important. It’s about national pride. It’s about remembering the steps that were taken that brought us to where we are today.

Further rehearsals are scheduled for next week. The exercise proceeded with a few members of the public observing along the route. Separately, concerns were raised online regarding work being done at the Queen’s Park Savannah, with activist Gary Aboud questioning the nature of the work and whether the Savannah was being paved, raising alarms about potential changes to the historic grounds.

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The horses are a big deal for me. That and the cadets and the people who were walking with the bibles in hand. That was interesting and it was a good feeling. We showing off.