Dear Editor,
Traffic in Georgetown is getting worse. The rate at which vehicle licence registration is moving surpasses the rate at which authorities are dealing with traffic congestion.
I have a few recommendations:
1. Remove vendors from pedestrian walkways. I can assure you that should this be done the traffic congestion will reduced by a minimum of 30%. I know many persons would disagree with this but the facts are as follows:
a) Vendors on the street do not contribute to the tax system of Guyana.
b) Vendors provide unfair competition to stores who comply with regulations.
c) Vendors provide unfair competition to those persons selling in the arcade. Arcade vendors are just as much in need of a sale as those who sell on the street.
d) Vendors “want the cheese” like every other vendor in Stabroek Market or the arcade, so why should we think that those on the street deserve to be selling on the pavement and have greater access to buyers?
e) Government/M&CC could extend municipal markets outside of the Stabroek area to provide these vendors with a place to trade.
I repeat, remove the vendors from the pavements and improve traffic efficiency in the downtown area.
2. Move a few bus parks. The following routes should be relocated:
a) 44, 50 & 63 buses should have their terminal in the Kingston area.
b) 31, 32 & 42 buses should have their terminal in the Princes Street vicinity.
In the mornings, buses can take passengers to downtown Georgetown as normal. Some don’t even have passengers remaining in their buses before reaching downtown. In the afternoons, 90% of the commuters walk along Camp Street and Lombard Street trying to get a bus before it reaches downtown.
3. Increase the police presence to monitor traffic obstruction especially on the following streets:
Hincks Street; America Street; Water Street; North Road; others as needed.
4. Move the entrance to the following schools:
a) The Marian Academy should use Thomas Road as the entrance.
b) St Margaret’s Primary should use Thomas Street or provide a park for vehicles picking up/dropping off students. Camp Street’s two lane traffic becomes one lane at this school, thus the congestion.
c) Apex Education and that devil’s turn – widen/straighten that turn asap! Or move Apex completely.
A simple issue like traffic can cause huge long-term problems. Look at it this way: getting to work early becomes a problem. I can’t get to work early because I am stuck in traffic by Apex. I get a warning, I lose sleep, businesses lose productivity and the list goes on. Losing 5 minutes in the morning is far more detrimental to society than just losing wage value.
I commend the efforts of the government to widen the roads on the East Bank and East Coast, however we must consider this: the flow rate of water is only as good as the cleanliness/straightness of the pipe; meaning that we will have a bottleneck of traffic somewhere.
Many will say: “Oh, it’s going to be hard to change.” Well, change comes, like it or not. I don’t like traffic lights but it doesn’t mean that I can disregard them and run a red. Similarly, we need to consider the greater good and make changes now before the traffic situation gets any worse.
Yours faithfully,
Surendra Dhanpaul
