The Traffic in St. Maarten is comparable to...

[lolavix]

_____________________________________ (fill in the blank with your favorite US city).

 

I keep reading how horrific the traffic is in St. Maarten, near Maho. It's making me nervous. :o

 

Can anyone compare it to something in the US? On par with LA/New York/Boston/DC? Easier? Worse?

 

As a rule of thumb, how long would you give yourself to get back to your ship if Maho is the last thing you have planned?

 

Thanks.

[gtaylor]

Here's the traffic headed back to Philipsburg from Maho/Simpson Bay.

 

Personally, I'd allow two hours, depending on 'all-aboard' and when you plan to leave Maho.

 

(click)

 

gary

[lolavix]

Thanks for the photos.

 

All aboard is at 4:30, so we're looking at leaving by 2:30 at the latest?

[gtaylor]

You'd probably be ok, but with a 4:30 all-aboard, I'd probably be out by 2:00.

 

At 2:30, you'd be up against a Simpson Bay Bridge opening at 3:00, though your taxi driver should know to divert to the Causeway crossing.

 

Simpson Bay Bridge:

 

08.30 hrs - Outbound

09.30 hrs - Inbound

10.30 hrs - Outbound

11.30 hrs - Inbound

15.00 hrs - Inbound

16.00 hrs - Outbound

17.00 hrs - Inbound

 

Simpson Bay Causeway:

 

07.30 hrs - on call on weekends

08.15 hrs - In & Outbound traffic

09.45 hrs - In & Outbound traffic

10.15 hrs - In & Outbound traffic

11.45 hrs - In & Outbound traffic

15.15 hrs - on call. In & Outbound traffic

15.45 hrs - In & Outbound traffic

17.15 hrs - In & Outbound traffic

 

gary

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Can't really compare it with a US city.

Different kinds of roads. Narrow, windy, potholes.

Typical Caribbean island roads.

Give yourself 90 minutes to two hours to get back from Maho.

We made it all the way back to Philipsburg and got stuck in traffic there for 30 minutes within site of the ship down in the Front Street area mess.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Cruiser 4 Life 66

[Shine]

We went to Maho on Thursday. Headed back to the ship around 4:20, took an hour and a half. Our ship wasn't leaving until the next day so we didn't have to worry about that, but it was a very long ride back.

[navybankerteacher]

To answer OP's question with a comparison to a particular US traffic situation, I would suggest that he visualize what eight blocks on US 1 (the Boston Post Road) in downtown Stamford , CT would be like on a Friday afternoon if word had gone out that there had been a semi flipped over on the parallel I-95.

[Anung Un Rama]

So I've seen a lot of people complaining about the traffic getting back from Maho Beach. How about getting back from Orient Beach? We're there the last day of our vacation and I really don't want to have to sit in a cab for 2 hours either way. Thanks in advance.

[fletch1027]

I'll be there for the 1st time next week. I have read that there's a water taxi that can get you from downtown to the port - bypassing the street traffic. Is that correct?

[OCruisers]

_Any city at rush hour ___________________________________ (fill in the blank with your favorite US city).

[Hlitner]

The problem with driving on St Maarten is that there are very few roads connecting point A to point B (substutute Maho and Phillispburg) and the existing roads are 2 lanes that are often somewhat congested. If going from Maho back to the port we would allow at least an hour (to be very safe) but the trip will likely take no more then 30 min.

 

Hank

[Karysa]

The problem with driving on St Maarten is that there are very few roads connecting point A to point B (substutute Maho and Phillispburg) and the existing roads are 2 lanes that are often somewhat congested. If going from Maho back to the port we would allow at least an hour (to be very safe) but the trip will likely take no more then 30 min.

 

Hank

 

Even with the new bridge we would leave a 2 hrs window to get back to the port from Maho with a ship on the line. When it's bad it is crawling.

[Karysa]

I'll be there for the 1st time next week. I have read that there's a water taxi that can get you from downtown to the port - bypassing the street traffic. Is that correct?

 

You can take a water taxi or even walk to town. Most folks use the water taxi or walk it.

[navybankerteacher]

So I've seen a lot of people complaining about the traffic getting back from Maho Beach. How about getting back from Orient Beach? We're there the last day of our vacation and I really don't want to have to sit in a cab for 2 hours either way. Thanks in advance.

 

Coming back from Orient is likely to be much easier than from Maho. The road runs down the east side of the island - without any possible open draw bridge or heavily built up area , other than the last mile or so just north of the port.

[Anung Un Rama]

Coming back from Orient is likely to be much easier than from Maho. The road runs down the east side of the island - without any possible open draw bridge or heavily built up area , other than the last mile or so just north of the port.

 

Thank you. I think we may want to target Orient beach instead. I could really care less about the planes.

[Karysa]

Coming back from Orient is likely to be much easier than from Maho. The road runs down the east side of the island - without any possible open draw bridge or heavily built up area , other than the last mile or so just north of the port.

 

Much more predictable. Usually less than 30 minutes and 1/2hr buffer would be OK to me on this route.

[sebas030]

We were there Wednesday 2 weeks ago and it took us 30 minutes from Maho to the pier leaving Maho at 2:45.

 

Our tour guide explained that now the school busses cause the majority of the traffic because they have to block both lanes of the road when letting kids off the bus as an added security procedure.

 

The good news is if you miss the ship and your next port is Tortola or an other Island close, it's a short inexpensive flight to catch the ship the next day ;)

 

Have fun !

 

.