PPP members flouting traffic laws

PPP members continue to defy traffic laws, parking their vehicles diagonally in front of the party’s headquarters on Robb Street, but when asked about it yesterday General Secretary Clement Rohee could not give an explanation.

“I don’t know. I can’t answer for everything as General Secretary of the PPP. Next time I will be asked about why is the garbage there,” he said in response to the question.

This was the scene in front of Freedom House around 3 pm yesterday, some four hours after the media asked General Secretary Clement Rohee why the party continues to disobey the traffic law. He was unable to give an explanation. Traffic officers have been clamping wheels or towing vehicles found parked this way along sections of Robb Street and other places. (Photo by Keno George)
This was the scene in front of Freedom House around 3 pm yesterday, some four hours after the media asked General Secretary Clement Rohee why the party continues to disobey the traffic law. He was unable to give an explanation. Traffic officers have been clamping wheels or towing vehicles found parked this way along sections of Robb Street and other places. (Photo by Keno George)

Rohee told reporters at his weekly press conference that the party has issued statements on policy issues for which the General Secretary is responsible. “But to come to ask me, the General Secretary of this huge political party with 32 seats in Parliament, …why is there is diagonal parking in front of Freedom House…” he queried.

He insisted that the PPP/C was not there to “break rules but at the same time we are here to make sure that our property is not seized or damaged by the City Council.” He then added that the party will take steps to recover some material which was seized by the Mayor and City Council recently.

“What they took away from us was not blocking any traffic, was not a humbug in any way to any commuter. These things were near the pave in front of our bookstore not on the pavement but just near the pavement,” he said.

There is a `No diagonal parking’ sign painted on the roadway in front of Freedom House, which the police seem reluctant to enforce, while being strict with motorists in other sections of Robb Street and other areas.

In June last year, the traffic department began the implementation of this traffic law on several major streets in the city. The rationale, it said, was to ease traffic congestion since diagonal parking was narrowing the roads thereby affecting the free flow of traffic. In addition to Robb Street, motorists are barred from parking diagonally on most streets in central Georgetown.