There needs to be a more equitable pricing structure for crossing Guyana’s three major rivers

BY Staff
Published: December 4, 2008 in Letters

Dear Editor,

It doesn’t come as a big surprise that on average, the toll for a motor car to cross the Berbice River Bridge will be approximately $1,000, since only at that tariff rate can the investor possibly facilitate a payback of their investment within the agreed time-frame. This will be a significant financial burden for the traveller to Corentyne, but a functional Berbice River Bridge (BRB) provides significantly more benefit to John public than its associated cost, and for this reason alone, this bridge is good for Guyana. Gone will be the days of the nightmares called the MV Torani and the MV Sandaka and the connected corrupt public officials who man these Berbice River stellings and vessels, save and except the few honourable officials. Travelling to Corentyne will now be as easy as travelling to Parika.

This now brings me to the point of greater uniformity in the rates for river crossing in Guyana. A car pays on average just below $100 to cross the 1.2 mile Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), while that same car will be called upon to pay approximately $1,000 to cross the 1 mile BRB. Any rational mind will tell you that there is a grave inconsistency here, and I would dare say injustice to those having to cross the new BRB.

Reading a story in the Guyanese press about the “decking plates collapsing” on the DHB and the government having to pump several hundred million valuable dollars into repairing this bridge further highlights this inequality. Users of the DHB continue to pay a pittance compared to the users of the Berbice and Essequibo Rivers, and to compound this insult the government funds the emergency repairs to the DHB from the treasury. This flawed policy must be revisited with some degree of urgency, since the role of the state is not to tax the poor (many Berbice and Essequibo River users) to fund the poor (many users of the DHB). I call on the Berbicians and Essequibians to advocate a more equitable cost structure for river crossing in Guyana, since it directly affects them. I would like to encourage the Berbice and Essequibo business community, GAWU, NAACIE, RPA, the GPSU (all representing significant numbers of constituents in Corentyne and on the Essequibo coast) to deeply deliberate on my observations since once a precedent is set, there is no turning back. Hopefully, as an outcome of these deliberations the public policy on river crossing in Guyana will become more equitable.

Yours faithfully,
Sasenarine Singh

Comments

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11 Comments

Raymond Persaud says:

December 4, 2008 at 9:06 am

Mr Singh,

You have to consider the cost of building the bridge. Now, to use the ferry, cannot remember the cost for a vehicle for a return trip but if you take this cost and the time saved you will see that G$1000 to cross the bridge (return) is minimal.
The number of vehicles using the bridge is minimal because the country is small so it will take ages for the fund raisers to recoup their money.
Do you know the cost to cross the many bridges in the US???? This is despite millions of vehicles using the bridges per day and a the US being a richer country.

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- Brooklyn.Piano-man says:
  
  December 4, 2008 at 10:58 am
  
  If the exchange rate is $202. for one US dollar then the cost is about US$4.95 to cross the BRB. Taking into consideration the inflation factor (and the cost of building the structure) I wouild say the $1000 G to cross is reasonable.
  It may seem a lot compared to the pennies required to cross the DHB. Americans pay more now to cross shorter rivers and some of those rivers exist right within the cities which have the counties so close to each other that it should actually cost nothing to cross from one to the other - example Manhattan to Brooklyn.
- Seepersaud says:
  
  December 4, 2008 at 4:34 pm
  
  Why compare the US to GUyana, I don’t get this
Sase Singh says:

December 4, 2008 at 10:41 am

Mr. Raymond Persaud:

I think you missed my point. in my opening paragraph, I stated “since only at that tariff rate (G$1000) can the investor possibly facilitate a payback of their investment within the agreed time-frame”.

What is the salient message here is that the users of the Demerara Harbour Bridge should pay a more equitable rate for crossing the Demerara River.

Sase

Reply
- Raymond Persaud says:
  
  December 4, 2008 at 5:48 pm
  
  Mr Singh,
  
  Seems as though u r in the UK also, would be great if you can contact me on my e-mail - r.persaud27@yahoo.com. It will be nice to meet other Guyanese living here.
  
  Anyway, about the cost of crossing the bridges, you have to remember that the DHB has outlived its designed life so basically crossing it should be free. All the expense to maintain it may be better spent on building a new bridge.
  
  The Berbice bridge on the other hand is being build with funds from the private sector and all I am saying is that the G$1000 to cross it is minimal and the people who use it should not think that they are being asked to pay too much.
r s dasai says:

December 4, 2008 at 2:25 pm

Good insight Guys, But the writer must do a cost comparison and usage analysis on travel costs and the costs of the two bridges and funding needed for both. Also consider time saved, (in)convenience reduced/eliminated/safety etc. then comment. Best of Regards.

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teach says:

December 4, 2008 at 3:28 pm

Why do we have to always compare our affairs with the US? The DHB was built at a different time and I am sure has already paid for itself. The fact that it was not properly managed by the authorities has nothing to do with the residence who use it. The BRB is a new entity and as such will be affected by present day economic issues. This is no revelation. However, do not once again move in the direction of having the poor man pay for the incompetence of the officials who lead them. Oh, by the way, there are some very cheap tolls in the US compared to others and there are reasons for this Mr. Narine.

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teach says:

December 4, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Correction: residents instead of residence.

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Sase Singh says:

December 5, 2008 at 2:23 am

Chaps:

This is the bottom line. The Treasury is being asked to fund the emergency works for the DHB, while the users of the Berbice and Essequibo River are paying a more marketable rate. This is unfair. The estimated revenue and expenditure is available for crossing all of these river and the one with the worst deficit is the DHB. That is why I believe that this deficit gap should be narrowed. The Government should not continue perpetually to fund the repair of an expensive bridge when the revenue stream is constrained. Something must be done to the revenue stream at the DHB.

Sase

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Jagdesh Mohunlall says:

December 5, 2008 at 2:33 pm

I hope the authorities are puting aside money for repairs and capital improvements to the Berbice Harbor Bridge. Don,t complain to me ten years from today, about not having enough money to operate and improve the bridges.

Let hire competent people to do the job. Let the budget for the bridge balance each year.

I can come down to Guyana and fix all your money problems. Any thing for Canje and Berbice.

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Brooklyn.Piano-Man says:

December 6, 2008 at 1:08 am

For the simple reason that many ex-Guyanese will be using this bridge to get to and from B/ce. I must add it will be a bit much for residents to pay $1000 every time but it should be worth it since there will be no delaying in crossing and no cut off hour like with the ferries.

Reply