Contractors begin preliminary work for city parking meters

Jun 03, 2016 News

Guyana’s capital city is taking one step closer to being on par with the rest of the developed world as the implementation of parking meters commenced yesterday.

(From left) Representatives of NPS; John Daniels, Colvern Venture, Ifa Kamau Cush and Simon Moshesvilli.

Representatives from the National Parking Systems (NPS), the company that was awarded the contract from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, gathered at the Square of the Revolution where they briefed the media on the project.
Officials of the firm speaking to Kaieteur News were Chairman of Smart City Solutions, Simon Moshesvilli, Chairman of NPS and Director of Smart City Solutions, Ifa Kamau Cush and John Daniels, former Traffic Chief of the Guyana Police Force. Daniels is in charge of the enforcement and security portfolio for the project. Also in the company of the representatives was City Engineer Colvern Venture. The project is being advanced jointly between the National Parking Systems and Smart City Solutions.
Cush stated that the project will be completed in two phases and is expected to begin in September of this year. Phase One, he explained, will focus on the central business district in Georgetown. He said that these areas include Regent, Robb, Carmichael, Middle and Water Streets. Cush predicts that they will eventually expand to the Sheriff and Princes Streets areas. The meters are expected to be solar-powered and possess a variety of value added features.
It was explained that one parking meter will be responsible for approximately 10-12 spaces. Cush said that there will be a wireless interface which will allow users to top up their balance on the meters using their mobile phones in the event that their time expires. It was also explained that there will be a set price for every rotation that a vehicle utilizes. According to Cush, each rotation will last 15 minutes.
Daniels commented that to prevent vandalism of the meters, there will be 24/7 surveillance via security cameras and personnel hired to make frequent checks at the specific locations.
Meanwhile, Moshesvilli spoke on the design of the meters, stating that they are specially designed to deter the efforts of vandals. He told the media that the meters will also be equipped with GPS tracking, and the ability to automatically dial the 911 emergency number, if there is any suspected tampering or destruction of property.
City Engineer Colvern Venture stated that the Council is in full support of the project, as it will address many of its concerns. Some of these include the obvious parking problem, the blockage of entrances to buildings, regulation of the amount of vehicles entering the city and more importantly, road safety.
Venture believes that the introduction of these meters will force persons erecting buildings to conduct business to ensure they make adequate parking accommodation for their staff and customers. At present, the city tries to limit the presence of containers parked along the city roads by charging persons $25,000 per day, but with these meters, the Council will have a better control over traffic circulation.
Added to remedying these issues, the City aims to generate revenue which, according to Moshesvilli, will be channelled back into the communities of Georgetown.
Cush gave a brief historical background to the project, declaring that the proposal is almost 20 years old. It was first made in 1995 and finally approved in 1996. He further related that the then ruling PPP Government had refused to implement the project, and that its realization now, is by virtue of the vision of the incumbent APNU+AFC administration.
He stated that the idea behind the project is aligned with the “Clean and Green” vision of President David Granger, which was also adopted by the current Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Green.
The business community is also expected to benefit from the meters, whereby, if an individual parks in front of a business, the driver will be given a discount on whatever product he or she purchases. This will only be applicable to businesses which have signed such an agreement with the firm and the Council. This is expected to increase the customer base for businesses, allowing them to generate greater profits.
The introduction of these meters had raised a few eyebrows lately; some segments of society believe that the nation is not ready. However, Daniels stated that the implementation of these meters is backed by the law. He noted that Section 274 of the Municipal and Districts Council Act states that the council can “establish, maintain and control parking; erect and maintain “parking meters”; regulate the standing and parking of vehicles on council roads”.
Earlier this year, the Mayor & City Council had also come in for criticism by an overseas-based Guyanese, Mr. Saratu Phillips of Astrolobe Technology, who claimed he was awarded the project in 2007. The project was supposed to last for 25 years.

1 thoughts on “Contractors begin preliminary work for city parking meters”

Cotton_Candy June 3, 2016 at 6:41 pm

Guyana is taking steps to be on Par with the rest of the world that is a difficult thing for them to do, knowing how corrupt the government and country is right now. Parking meters, do you think that the drivers are going to obey the laws, rules and regulations when it comes to those meters???? Please give me a break, I will always talk about the crime rate in Guyana because that is what can and will bring changes to the country and the citizens needs a safer place to live and a resolution as soon as possible.