Private sector to block parking meter project

“All options on the table” – GCCI President

Implementation of the much panned parking meter project is imminent, but the private sector and civil society have indicated they would employ measures to resist the initiative.

This was on Sunday confirmed by recently elected President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, who told Guyana Times there must be in-depth analysis before such a project could be accepted.
“We are saying that the contract of this parking meter was not awarded properly. There were no studies done, no impact assessments…the entire thing should be wiped clean, and go back to the drawing board and make sure that they do proper analysis,” Indar observed.
His comments follow the action of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) last week, voting to adopt the amended by-laws for the controversial parking meter project, thereby signalling that Guyanese will soon have to contend with paid parking once again.
In its previous incarnation, the project was the subject of multiple court actions, including a case brought by the New Building Society (NBS) Limited and another by a private citizen against the legality of City Hall’s multiple-decade contract with Mexican company Smart City Solutions (SCS).
Guyana Times on Sunday questioned the GCCI President on possible legal action that could be taken to prevent the initiative from returning, and Indar stressed: “All options are on the table.” He, however, cautioned that the private sector would first have to assess the amended by-laws before measures in regard to blocking could be initiated.
“We are against the parking meters, and we will be working with others, including the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) and other civil society groups to mount resistance towards the implementation of parking meters,” he noted.
Guyana Times understands that operatives within the private sector will be meeting this week to determine their options and craft plans for advocacy against parking meters.
When City Councillors had voted on the measure, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had restricted them from discussing the contract and concessionaire. People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Councillor Bishram Kuppen had argued that since the by-laws are linked to the contract with Smart City Solutions, the council was attempting to move forward with a contract the legality of which was still under question.
Kuppen told all the councillors present that if they support the amended by-laws, they in essence were forcing the citizenry of Georgetown to accept an illegal 40-year contract.
Additionally, Councillor Malcolm Ferreira had called for the decision to be put on hold until all court issues regarding the controversial project had been addressed.
People’s National Congress Councillors Akeem Peter, Winston Harding, Yvonne Ferguson, Welton Clarke, Oscar Clarke, Noelle Chow-Chee, Heston Bostwick, James Samuels, Trichria Richards, Lyndon Hilliman, Ivelaw Henry and Mayor Chase-Green, along with Team Benschop’s Jameel Rasul, voted to adopt the By-laws.
Councillors Kuppen and Sharma voted against, and Ferreira and the PNC’s Carlyle Goring abstained.
Meanwhile, former Deputy Mayors Lionel Jaikaran and Sherod Duncan – both of the Alliance For Change (AFC) — refused to participate in the process.
Following a 14-day public display, the adopted by-laws will be forwarded to Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan for his approval; and if given, the by-laws would be gazetted.
Under the new agreement, persons will be paying $150 per hour, and $800 for eight hours of parking in the city. Residents of the city would, however, be issued with a restricted residential pass for free parking from 17:00h-19:00h Monday to Friday, while parking will be free on Saturdays.
When the project was first implemented in 2017, it attracted sustained protests for several weeks, and was eventually suspended by the Communities Minister.
While it is expected that the Private Sector will receive support for their position on the Parking Meters Project, it is being argued that it is worrying the same type of support was not given to thousands of protesting sugar workers who were thrown on the breadline after Government’s decision to close three estates and dismiss over 5000 sugar workers.
One public commentator, in an invited comment, said that it was unfortunate that there were a few isolated groups championing the cause of the sugar workers from the business and Private Sector Commission (PSC) while countless others, who were not directly affected by the move to shut down the industry, stood and watched from the sidelines.
“Now that everybody knows that their business will be negatively affected if City Hall reintroduces the project, every man is on board to lobby and fight to resist the Project. Our sugar workers deserved better. The parking meters project and our collective response should be an eye opener for many people,” the commentator said.