Stabroek Market stallholders are calling for a review by the Police Traffic Department of the traffic management arrangements that apply in the Stabroek area during sittings of the National Assembly in order to allow them to conduct business without undue hindrance resulting from traffic restrictions.

Sittings of the National Assembly are usually attended by the erection of Police Traffic Department perimeter cordons that prohibit the flow of vehicular traffic in the vicinity of Parliament Buildings and the stallholders say that the attendant severely restricted access to the Stabroek market area on days when parliament is in session seriously affects aspects of commercial activity in the municipal market.

One consequence of the traffic restrictions is that vehicles face difficulties in delivering goods to stalls in the market. The stallholders say that a stage has been reached where companies now refuse to make deliveries to the market during days on which there are sittings of the National Assembly.

Traffic administration arrangements associated with sittings of the National Assembly effectively “throw up” a cordon around Parliament Buildings that seal off those sections of Croal street, Hadfield street and Brickdam situated west of High street. Temporary parking restrictions are also imposed and minibus parks in the vicinity relocated.

The stallholders say that the traffic “blanket” thrown up in the area during sittings of the National Assembly prevents them as well as some customers from “coming and going” freely. “People making bulk purchases or expensive purchases need to have the security and the convenience afforded by quick access to the market and back to their vehicles after they have made their purchases,” a stallholder told Stabroek Business.

The stallholders say that while they are mindful of the importance of Parliament they feel the traffic arrangements for sittings of the National Assembly could be restructured to ensure that commercial activity at the Stabroek Market does not suffer unduly.

They are recommending that consideration be given to leaving the Hadfield street “artery” open in order to allow a reasonably smooth flow of traffic in the market area.