Transport in Bermuda

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Bermuda has 150 miles of private paved roads; 130 miles of public paved roads; 25 miles of historic, mostly unpaved railroad trail, used in parts as a scenic trail; two beautiful ports (Hamilton and St. George's), and one airport, the Bermuda International Airport, located at the former U.S. Naval Air Station.

There are four ocean routes for ferries and boats that travel between several different locations on Bermuda including Hamilton, Paget, St. George and West End. Fare for traveling by ferry or boat is generally inexpensive, and allow travel for a lot of different schedules.

Cars were not allowed in Bermuda until 1946. Previously, the railway had been used for public transport, but proved highly unprofitable and was dismantled.

Bermuda today has a large number of private cars, almost one for every two inhabitants; however only residents are allowed to drive cars. This is largely due to the fact that with close to 300,000 visitors a year allowing car rental in one of the world's most densely populated islands would quickly bring traffic to a standstill, as well as bankrupt the island's taxi industry. Car prices are much higher than in the United States, Canada, and Europe, due to heavy import duties, and residents are also limited to one car per household. The size of cars is also restricted, meaning that many models popular in mainland United States, Canada, and Europe are not available in Bermuda. Only the Governor and Premier are exempt from these restrictions.

As in the United Kingdom, traffic drives on the left, meaning that visitors from North America must take special care on Bermuda's roads. There is no car hire; visitors may only rent low-power motor scooters; they may also use the extensive public bus system, or take taxis. The highest speed limit anywhere on the island is 35 km/h (approximately 20 mph), and it is lower in built-up and other congested areas.

Contents

[edit] Railways

Bermuda has no railways. The old railway has been replaced with a walking path

[edit] Highways


total: 225 km (140 mi)
paved: 225 km (140 mi)
unpaved: none (1997 est.)
note: in addition, there are 232 km (144 mi) of paved and unpaved roads that are privately owned

[edit] Ports and harbors

Hamilton, Saint George

[edit] Merchant marine

Flag of BermudaStatistics for the Shipping Industry of Bermuda
Total: 132 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
Totalling: 7,873,728 GRT/8,688,692 DWT
Cargo ships
Bulk ships 25
Cargo ship 1
Container ships 24
Roll-on/Roll-off ships 5
Refrigerated cargo ships 13
Tanker ships
Liquefied gas tanker ships 23
Petroleum tanker ships 16
Passenger ships
General passenger ships 19
Combined passenger/cargo 6
Foreign Ownership and Documentation
Note: Of these, 116 are foreign-owned: Australia 3, Belgium 4, France 1, Germany 21, Greece 2, Hong Kong 10, Indonesia 1, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Monaco 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, Switzerland 2, United Kingdom 9, United States 27. Bermuda has 6 vessels registered in other countries: Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 1. 2006 estimates.
Source: This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

Bermuda is a flag of convenience registry.

[edit] Airports

1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m (8,000 ft to 10,000 ft): 1 (1999 est.)

[edit] Reference

Much of the material in this article is adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000.

[edit] External links