Dear Editor,
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, the Government of Guyana and the Minister of Public Works must be praised for the road projects that they are undertaking. The new roadways along the East Bank of Demerara, one from Parika to the planned new Harbour Bridge across the Demerara River connecting the West Bank to East Bank and the East Coast road that connects to the East Bank are all so necessary. New roads will open up vast areas of the country for housing development away from the main public road and the coast. It will also allow for farming and for other aspects of development. However there is a serious problem developing in all of this development, one that has to be addressed now or else it will get further out of hand. A number of individuals have decided to occupy the verges of these new highways creating a nightmare for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. These persons many of whom own trucks park them at the sides of the roads blocking entirely the pedestrians and cyclists paths, some even decide to erect tents along with their trucks and vend all day, from fruits, to vegetables, whilst others operate as butcheries selling every type of meat even slaughtering chickens right there. Others sell dog food. Not only are they encumbrances and traffic hazards but they are also very unsightly. Some even set up roadside mechanic shops with large trucks being repaired right there at the side of the highways. At Providence, there is a nice little tourism hub being developed in the area known as ‘Red Road’ with a hotel, casino and movie theater now being joined by a spanking new mall, gym and supermarket. But Alas! There are more than twenty shacks along the roadway giving the entire area a slum appearance. This is most unfortunate and needs to be corrected immediately not just for aesthetics but for safety of persons visiting the area particularly at night. We have to decide if we are serious about developing Guyana as a tourism destination.
Sincerely,
Anu Bihari
