Saffon Street 'still one-way'

Saffon Street ‘still one-way’

Oct 13, 2010 News

Police have confirmed that Saffon Street, La Penitence, earmarked to be opened to two-way traffic again shortly, is still a one-way between 06:00-18:00hrs.
This was following days of confusion in which drivers heading south to the East Bank of Demerara suddenly encountered traffic moving in the opposite direction.
Yesterday, police ordered cars heading north to turn around and said that they were still unclear if the street is opened to two-way traffic.
Hours earlier, traffic ranks at the corner of Punt Trench were allowing traffic to flow both ways on the roadway, a clear indication of confusion.
Almost two weeks ago, government signaled intentions to once again open Saffon Street to two-way traffic as a means to ease congestions to the city and a bottleneck in the Lombard Street turnoff.

Saffon Street is still a one-way street between 06:00-18:00hrs.

Yesterday, Nigel Erskine, Traffic Safety Engineer of the Ministry of the Public Works, said that his Ministry had completed all the preparatory work in anticipation of the reopening of the road to two-way traffic with the police already written to.
“There were a number of issues raised with us and which we have addressed and we wrote the police on Monday.”
According to Erskine, police now have the final say on the reopening of the road to two-way traffic.
Saffon Street has been seen as key to government’s short-term plans of easing the traffic congestion on the East Bank and West Bank of Demerara because of a bottleneck around the area, blamed mostly on the closure of this street to north-bound vehicles.
Recently, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, met with Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green and other officials as government signaled its intentions for the re-opening of the road.
There were also plans to move some 50 stalls said to be obstructing the flow of traffic and sitting on city drains.
However, the stallholders are vigorously resisting this proposal and the matter is still under discussion.
Authorities have said that traffic has increased by 17% over recent years and the congestion on the East Bank Demerara is set to become worse. With that highway linking West Demerara via the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the situation has become even more critical.