In a bid to ease traffic congestion around the country, especially in the city during the Christmas season, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has begun removing illegal parking barriers along Regent Street, Georgetown.
Police removing the barriers
The exercise was conducted by Officer-in-Charge of Traffic for Regional Division 4 A, Assistant Superintendent Raun Clarke, along with Inspector Gavin Boyce and a team of traffic ranks on Friday.
“The aim of the exercise was to assist in mitigating the expected traffic congestion during the holiday season by removing illegal ‘No Parking’ signs and other obstacles placed on the roadway in front of business places along Regent Street,” they said.
This exercise also comes at a time when drivers are complaining about encountering a variety of barriers placed on the street by local retail business owners, banks, and other organisations. According to them, it is as if they own not only the sidewalks but curb space as well.
In this light, Clarke mentioned that his traffic team observed this behaviour of business owners erecting illegal signs along Regent Street, which sometimes contributes to major traffic congestion.
“As such, we will be removing these obstacles to facilitate adequate parking for motorists traversing Regent Street. We intend to continue this activity throughout the remainder of the season and beyond, so persons desirous of having any such sign erected in front of their buildings should do so formally through the Ministry of Public Works,” Clarke said.
Additionally, Clarke and his team met with hire car drivers at Stabroek Market Square, where they discussed several issues and concerns, including care and consideration of other road users.
One of the complaints raised by the hire car drivers was the issue of private hire cars plying their trade in the same vicinity as them, frequently causing a conflict.
As such, Inspector Boyce related to the hire car drivers that they should not encourage private cars and the Police will do their part to eradicate this behaviour. (G9)
