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Diagonal parking is illegal – Acting Traffic Chief
– 130 drivers charged within four months
Diagonal parking on Hadfield Street
Having recognized the increase in damage accidents, mostly as a result of diagonal parking on some of the busy roadways, the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Traffic Department is now enforcing stricter penalties for such parking.
Traffic officers are hoping that this move will see a significant decrease in the number of damage accidents that occur daily on the country’s roadways.
Acting Traffic Chief, Dion Moore explained that Diagonal parking has always been illegal, but because of the amount of space required for parallel parking, some amount of flexibility was allowed.
However, having looked at recent statistics, police realized that the number of damage accidents (fender benders) that occur on the roadways daily is far too much, hence the traffic department has decided to reinforce the no diagonal parking initiative.
The decision to reintroduce the No Diagonal Parking initiative was taken last May. To date 130 persons have been charged and placed before the court.
“In May we decided to implore on no diagonal parking because we realized that once you park diagonally, you will reverse into the flow of traffic…There has been a series of damage accidents where just lights and fenders were damaged as a result of diagonal parking,” Moore said.
He added, “It (No Diagonal Parking) was catered for in the law…Drivers are not supposed to reverse from a stationary point onto the main road. So against that background, diagonal parking will not be the way forward.”
While such practices eased the strain of finding parking given the constant congestion the city is plagued with, parallel parking is much safer, said Moore. He added too that persons will now have to park elsewhere and walk to their destination.
‘No Diagonal Parking’ signs are being erected on the busy streets within Georgetown, including Regent, Robb and Carmichael Streets.
Additionally, at least one traffic rank monitors each street where the No Diagonal Parking signs are placed to ensure drivers adhere to them.
“Now if you are going through Robb Street, you can stop and other vehicles can still pass. Before time, as soon as a vehicle stops, the entire traffic was being hold up,” the acting Traffic Chief explained.
Meanwhile, drivers who normally park on those streets have expressed their frustration with this new move by the police.
One storeowner who asked not to be named said, “When I go in to open my store in the morning, I have nowhere to park. Sometimes I have to search for parking space for almost an hour. Now when I do find one, I have to walk a good way to reach my store.
“Sometimes I have money on me; I have my phones and with the current crime situation in Guyana, it is not safe to walk with valuables” the businesswoman, who runs a clothing business on Regent Street, said.
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