Parking meter saga…Project turning out to be a disaster- Rohee

Jun 14, 2016 News

– slams City Hall for not consulting with stakeholders

Outrage is growing over the parking meters to be implemented in the city by National Parking Systems (NPS)/

PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee

Smart City Solutions. People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Clement Rohee, has slammed the way the project is being executed.
According to Rohee, the measures being foisted on the country are those that would be disruptive and unfamiliar.
He stated that Guyana “has no culture of parking meters in this country.”
The former Minister said that there was a need for thorough and widespread consultations with people of this country, especially the citizens of Georgetown and motorists.”
“I don’t think this is something that should be rammed down the throats of citizens,” Rohee said. “We have to go the democratic, open and transparent way. This shouldn’t be a profit-making activity alone; it should be something to the comfort of motorists.”
“So I think it will end up as a disaster. Already there is a lot of infighting going on in the city council; who is to get a cut and who is to get a piece of the action.”
Asked whether this was based on feedback from the PPP councillors, he stated that this information had come from other councillors.
However, the politician stated that the PPP councillors shared the same reservations about the contract.
“The matter has been initially discussed,” Rohee said, when asked whether the PPP councillors were consulted. “I understand it (was at) the subcommittee, then afterwards it would come back to the statutory meeting of the council.”
Rohee was taken aback when told that the city Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green and the Town Clerk, Royston King, were reportedly in Central America attempting to source meters. He expressed grave reservations about this development.
“I’m surprised to hear that the Mayor herself will be looking for parking meters, when there are technical people available in the country who could do that.
“So they have gone ahead in procuring the meters without even consulting with the people.”
It was reported last month that National Parking Systems would get the contract. There was some confusion; however, as overseas-based Guyanese Saratu Phillips had claimed to have received an exclusive contract back in 2007.
Phillips had reportedly put together a team of Information Technology professionals who were supposed to be working on the project. However, it is reported that he did not commence work due to the need for the city by-laws to be amended to enable parking meters.
Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan has not taken kindly to the project, and has spoken out that the arrangement would see the company getting 80 percent of gross revenues while the city would have collected 20 percent.
Duncan had written on his Face Book page that with the “total lack of verifiable information on the company and its capacity to execute the scope of the project and the absence of a contract on the proposed project, I cannot offer my support and reaffirm my grave reservation of such a venture.”

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