Traffic Chief Roland Alleyne has acknowledged that there “may have been a breach” of the no parking sign outside of the Celina Atlantic resort on Thursday night and said action will be taken to ensure there is no recurrence.
In a police statement yesterday responding to a page 1 caption in Saturday’s edition of the Stabroek News which pointed out that the police had enabled parking by guests at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Christmas Party at the resort, Alleyne said “the traffic chief wishes to remind all drivers that there is a `No Parking’ sign posted within the vicinity of that facility and it will be enforced despite who breaches it”.
The caption on Saturday next to the tagline `Different strokes for different folks?’ had noted that in recent months parking on the asphalt parapet outside the resort had been prohibited by the police but that it appeared that the parking stricture could be waived depending on who was partying at the resort. The caption had noted that over two consecutive weeks guests at the parties hosted by the ministries of education and home affairs – which has responsibility for the police – had been allowed to park on the parapet.
On Thursday, traffic police were also photographed assisting drivers to park despite the no parking sign. Among cars parked on the parapet were those used by members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.
Saturday’s edition carried three photographs showing the vehicles parked on the parapet. In October, the cars of some diners were towed away by the police because they had parked on the parapet.
The Celina resort and regulatory authorities have been in a long-running dispute over the parapet.
In the police statement, Alleyne denied telling Stabroek News that the matter was outside his jurisdiction.
This statement was attributed to Alleyne in the caption. Alleyne’s statement said that “he did not comment when a question was posed to him”. The reporter in question says that when Alleyne was asked about the parking at Celina he said it was “not a traffic matter” hence the statement that he said it was outside his jurisdiction. The traffic department in the police statement reiterated that “firm action will be taken against all drivers failing to acknowledge that sign” and took the opportunity “to remind them of the danger associated with parking within 30 feet of the corner and reversing against the one way street.”
The statement did not say whether the traffic department will investigate how the parking was facilitated on Thursday outside Celina and who instructed the traffic ranks to participate.
