Dear Editor,
There is an atrocious looking Bedford lorry, which for weeks has been parked in Light Street near Charlotte Street, while heavy arc-welding was being done to repair the entire tray of the vehicle, which was dangerous and most unsightly. They made much mess and cleaned up only when I intervened more than once and made threats. The welding was accomplished with a long extension cord across the road, with vehicles, heavy duty and otherwise driving over it.
The repair work with the banging as well as the appearance of the vehicle affected citizens living in the street. When the work was finished they realized they had a good spot to park the ugly thing which should be in the scrapyard, so every evening they park it there overnight, which affects those living and working in the area. I spoke to the driver who said it was a City Hall vehicle. I knew it was a contracted vehicle, with MCC scrawled on a piece of tin placed on the broken, nay, damaged windshield. Why do the police in Guyana permit vehicles with damaged windscreens on the country’s roads?
Not only the windshield is damaged, but the reflectors are broken and not working, and there are no headlamps. It turns dangerously in the street when being tested, and when it is parked, it passes quality vehicles parked nearby as well as those moving on the road. Remember the insurance on most of these vehicles is the minimum ridiculous $25,000.00 allowed in this country. Then it parks after emptying its smelly contents comprising the mud and silt from the gutters and drains of the City of Georgetown. The smell is another thing that affects us all in Light Street.
When a citizen looks out from his balcony or window, he wants to see pleasant scenes, not see and smell what City Hall has to offer. I even asked the driver of the lorry to ask the owner of the vehicle to park it in the area in front of his home, and he said he had done so. But the ‘thing’ continues to be parked in Light and Charlotte Streets, near the junction.
Something has to be wrong with the enforcement arm of the traffic department to permit such a vehicle in the city, that is dangerous to people‘s health and safety.
Yours faithfully,
Roshan Khan
