Latest update September 6th, 2026 10:45 AM
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Major restructuring of Georgetown on the horizon
– Transportation legislation, traffic congestion and parking to be addressed
The Ministry of Public Works will be undertaking a Sustainable Urban Transportation Study of Georgetown to enhance and regulate the transportation network, essentially bringing order to the city, according to Transportation Engineer, Patrick Thompson.
Without revealing much details about the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the project, Thompson said the Study will focus on legislation and regulation; traffic congestion; and parking control.
According to Thompson, the TOR is currently being reviewed by the Inter-American Development Bank which would be financing the project through a loan to the Government of Guyana.
The Ministry has advertised for consultancy firms to respond to an Expression of Interest, following which it will shortlist and invite six firms to bid for the project.
He related that the consultancy firm would have to comprise a Public Transportation Expert, Transportation Engineer Modeler, and an Environmental Specialist. In addition, the consultancy firm must be experienced and be able to incorporate international best practices to make this project a reality.
Thompson said the strict criterion for hiring the consultancy firm is necessary because the consultant would have to make considerable inputs during the implementation phase of the project.
Thompson enlightened, that the Study would focus on developing appropriate legislation and regulation for the orderly operation of public transportation. To this end, the Ministry will be addressing the specific needs of passengers to reorganize the way public transport operates. According to the engineer, a lot of minibuses enter the Stabroek Market area that does not necessarily need to be there. As such, the Study would have to provide a solution to have the transportation network regulated.
Offering an example, he said many passengers traversing the Parika to Georgetown route do not necessarily need to come into the city or to be more exact, Stabroek Market. Therefore, there could be a bus terminal at Mandela Avenue where the 32 minibuses could park whilst passengers join appropriate minibuses to continue their journey.
Having this system in place could help curb the traffic congestion that is plaguing the city. And by no coincidence, traffic congestion is another focus of the project.
Currently, this is a major problem in the city with vehicles sometimes taking 20 minutes to traverse two blocks in the commercial hub of the city such as Regent Street.
This aspect of the Study takes into consideration private transportation that has been on the increase. Planning and parking control is an important aspect of this Study. Thompson acknowledged that the features of Georgetown are changing with many high rise buildings. In addition, several businesses have taken up the responsibility of providing parking for their customers.
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