(Jamaica Observer) There is a strong possibility that motorists shopping downtown Kingston this Christmas will have to pay to park on certain streets.
The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s (KSAMC) Finance Committee approved a pilot project yesterday that will require motorists to pay for parking on certain streets in the commercial district.
The corporation’s CEO Robert Hill told the committee that the paid street parking pilot would be initiated on Ocean Boulevard, Church Street, Orange Street, West Street, and Port Royal Street where it intersects with Ocean Boulevard.
The proposal is for motorists to pay $100 for the first two hours of parking. The cost for three hours would be $200, and parking for over three hours would cost $200 per hour, Hill said.
Hill told the Jamaica Observer now that the finance committee had approved the street parking pilot, he would work to see how soon it could be implemented.
It would have to be determined if the pilot could begin during the Christmas season, Hill said, as before the street parking pilot is implemented, the KSAMC would have to speak to business owners in the areas designated for the test and also mount a public awareness campaign.
A Road Traffic Order in support of street parking across the Corporate Area was gazetted on March 29, 2018.
Vernon McLeod, chairman of the finance committee, said that street parking would have a huge revenue potential for the KSAMC.
The minority leader of the People’s National Party, Councillor Andrew Swaby (Vineyard Town Division), said that, in addition to the revenue potential, paid parking would help in maintaining law and order.
In March the KSAMC announced that it wanted to reinstitute parking charges on 32 streets in New Kingston, Cross Roads, and downtown Kingston. However, it had to be determined what system would be utilised to collect the fees and whether clamping would be instituted as a part of the system.
In March the designated streets in New Kingston for paid parking were listed as St Lucia Avenue, Grenada Crescent, Holborn Road, Dominica Drive, Barbados Avenue, and Park Street.
The streets earmarked by the KSAMC for parking downtown were Darling Street, East Queen Street, Sutton Street, West Street, West Queen Street Beeston Street, Barry Street, Hanover Street, Tower Street, Port Royal Street, Princess Street, Orange Street, Duke Street, Church Street, King Street, Harbour Street, East Street and Law Street.
Paid street parking in Cross Roads was slated for Lismore Avenue, Arehad Road, Paisley Avenue, Melmac Avenue, Eureka Road, Eureka Crescent, and Caledonia Road.
In the 1970s and ’80s, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) used parking meters to collect fees pursuant to Section 54 of the Road Traffic Act 1938 and the KSAC Parking Regulations 1974, the inspection and testing of parking meters and removal of vehicles regulations 1974 (parking and meter parking rules 1974).
However, the meters were vandalised and the system was eventually abandoned.
