Government is currently making further efforts to improve the traffic situation around the Stabroek square in central Georgetown.
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn and Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee on a walkabout Friday at the square, assessed the current state of affairs to determine the type of actions which would be necessary to address some of the problems, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Commander of ‘A’ Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Welton Trotz, and other senior officers accompanied the ministers.
The Stabroek location, apart from accommodating parking facilities for various minibus routes, is a hub for vending and other business activities, some of which are not registered with the relevant authorities, GINA said. The area has become populated with illegal structures some of which encumber the roadways and contribute to greater traffic congestion.
According to GINA, the situation has constantly engaged the attention of the responsible ministries and departments and has been the focus of an interagency committee that involves representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Public Works and Communications. Previous actions have been taken to enhance the area, including upgrading of surrounding roads and paving of the tarmac.
Rohee said the activity on Friday allowed for a better understanding of the current situation on the ground and enabled the team to identify the irritants, some of which have become consistent in recent times.
He said that it was observed that there was significant encumbrance of the roadways, total disrespect for law and order and people making their own rules against what was in the statute books.
“I think we will now have to sit together with the relevant departments to determine the appropriate course of action to be taken and also to probably engage in some public relations to alert those who are going to be affected about the necessary actions that have to be taken,” the minister was quoted by GINA as saying.
The details and timings of the actions and programme to implement these will be discussed shortly. Meanwhile, Benn highlighted the need to address the situation as early as possible and noted that while previous efforts have been made to improve the environment and ensure efficient parking, there was still a lot more to be done to ensure freer and easier transportation access around the area.
GINA said it was pointed out that vendors and other persons who were operating illegally or promoting a poor environment in terms of behaviour and sanitation, would be required to remove.
Benn observed that based on assessments on the ground and the use of satellite pictures there was adequate land space to accommodate buses, taxis and cars operating in the central Stabroek area.
