Dear Editor,
Yesterday, 14th August 2022, my family – all elderly citizens with medical complications -experienced the worst traffic jam as a consequence of the horse racing event in Berbice. For over five hours they were stuck in traffic around the Weldaad Area while en route to Upper Corentyne. Five hours!!! The police were virtually nonexistent and the few that were originally present, mysteriously disappeared. Frustrated commuters theorized that the police were taken off the road to act as outriders for the privileged officials, and the rich and famous who (somehow) made it to the event without the inhumane difficulties faced by the other ordinary travelers.
Guyana is getting more and more mega events. But the logistics continue to lag way behind the actual events. When there is an activity at the National Stadium there is the inevitable traffic congestion. If there is an event at GMR&SC Circuit, you are guaranteed a corresponding traffic jam. This poses massive inconvenience to those that have absolutely no affiliation with the events. Have the authorities ever taken stock of the difficulties faced by citizens whenever these events are held? Are they doing anything to mitigate these difficulties? It is clear that our police are way out of their depth.
Government is giving out many scholarships for various fields of studies. A few should be specifically given for fields that cater to crowd management for big public events. At least then the police will get the professional expertise and guidance it critically needs for such events. Guyanese officials and citizens must accept that these events will only get larger as the money keeps flowing into the country. So there must be a batch of qualified personnel to properly coordinate such events to ensure everything runs smoothly. In a few weeks’ time the “biggest party in town” arrives. For cricket lovers it is a time to get all dizzy with excited anticipation. For the rest of the citizens it is viewed with foreboding because of the expected traffic woes that will inevitably arise.
In case the police don’t already know, the Stadium was completely sold out for the semis and finals. That’s at least 20,000 patrons entering the venue on a number of days. When one considers the fact that the only alternate route around the stadium – the Mandela to Eccles to Diamond road – is also presently under massive construction activities, there will be massive logistical issues. The organisers of CPL, the government and the Private Sector need to come out and publicly state what their plans are to alleviate the impending traffic issues when CPL arrives in town. That is the least they can do for long suffering citizens.
Flood the media with releases and advisories on where would be the best routes to circumnavigate the crowd at the stadium. Ensure there is enough police presence to control the traffic flow. Hire out to private companies if there isn’t enough police to control the traffic. As for the fiasco around the horse racing on the 14th August, the least the organizers can do is offer a public apology to the many who suffered and give reasons why it occurred in the first place. And for those who gave approval for such events, please do not do so unless proper traffic arrangements are also in place so that other citizens are not unduly affected by the traffic nightmares that accompany these mega events.
Sincerely,
M. Abraham
