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(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government is now restricting the importation of vehicles more than seven years old. About 24,000 vehicles were imported over the last five years, and there are concerns that older vehicles are harder to maintain, cause more pollution and fall short of safety standards. The aim is to curb the number of cars on the road to reduce congestion and derelict vehicles around the islands, as well as cut the number of serious crashes.
Speaking on Radio Cayman’s For the Record on Monday, Premier Wayne Panton explained that the decision was “not made blind” and was based on data. He said that there are exceptions for buses, classic collectors or antique cars, as well as vehicles used in agriculture, engineering and industry.
Cabinet approved the Customs and Border Control (Prohibited Goods) (Amendment) Order, 2023 on 25 April, and it came into effect on 1 May. Vehicles already ordered that are over seven years old will be allowed into the country with the correct paperwork, but those ordered after 30 April that are not exempt and were built before 2016 will be refused.
The new restriction, which is not uncommon around the Caribbean, is expected to have a significant impact, given that 63% of cars imported last year were at last ten years old as the demand for cheaper cars grows.
The restriction is across the board, including commercial dealers, and not limited to work permit holders. Panton said that depending on how things work out and with the development of a more reliable and modern public transport network, further restrictions could be rolled out for work permit holders.
This is the first step of a number of solutions that the CIG is working on to tackle the traffic problem and improve safety while improving public transport, the premier said.
He accepted that building roads would not solve the traffic problem — even after the contentious situation that has developed over the East-West Arterial extension and his surprising decision last week to accept a motion in parliament to build that road without an environmental impact assessment of the stretch between Hurst Road and Lookout Gardens.
Panton said that in the short term, the government would be looking at encouraging, if not mandating, school buses for private schools and rolling out a campaign to promote car pooling and a park-and-ride system from the Eastern Districts.
“The new restriction to limit the age of cars that can be imported will help slow down the number of older cars entering our islands,” Panton said. “These older vehicles are often cheaper to purchase, but they are harder to maintain and will drive higher demand for replacement vehicles. These older vehicles end up abandoned and left for government to dispose of.”
A recent traffic study showed that on weekdays between 6am and 10am, almost 8,000 vehicles pass through the Grand Harbour roundabout, more than 80% of them during the first two hours. But a sample during the Easter school break showed that the number did not fall significantly, as people might assume, given the lighter traffic during school holidays. The premier explained that this was because the vehicles were far more evenly spread, so there was no congestion.
In a release about the new order, Customs and Border Control confirmed that the cut-off year is 2015. CBC Director Charles Clifford said the new order would be rigorously enforced. “A prohibited commodity cannot, under any circumstances, be lawfully imported into the Cayman Islands,” he said. “Importers and their agents must therefore exercise the required due diligence to avoid the consequences of attempting to import a prohibited commodity.”
Dwayne Seymour, who took over the customs portfolio when he was made minister of border control last month, said that restricting vehicle importation was not intended to target residents but to help restore the quality of life. As officials work on finding solutions for the ongoing traffic crisis, he pointed to the recent population rise.
“This significant surge in population further compounds the issue of congestion on the roads and establishes its likelihood to continue to be a growing problem,” he said.
According to the CBC, the total number of cars imported to the Cayman Islands over ten years from 2012-2022 is 39,267 with an annual average of 3,926 cars imported. However, during the last five years from 2018 to 2022, the total number of cars imported is 23,953 with an annual average of 4,790 cars imported. The average age of vehicles being imported has also increased, as shown in the table below:
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||
| Years Grouping | Total | % of Total Vehicles | Total | % of Total Vehicles | Total | % of Total Vehicles |
| 5-10 Years | 972.0 | 43% | 1,065.0 | 38% | 509.0 | 22% |
| 11-20 Years | 721.0 | 32% | 1,203.0 | 42% | 1,496.0 | 63% |
See the premier on Radio Cayman below:
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