Minibuses, their passengers, streetlights, the European man

Nov 28, 2019 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

I saw something on Regent Street this week, so I decided to investigate for myself. I have an obligation to do so because I am writing about what I saw; therefore, I need to research it. I was coming out of a store on the northern section of Regent Street when some folks at the entrance of a store on the opposite side, yelled out, “Freddie watch, watch.”
The police clipped a car and was towing it away because it was on the yellow sign that says, “bus stop”. For years now, the police have designed an area of about twelve yards on popular streets with the words, “bus stop.”
It is simple to understand. The bus halts on that space to pick up passengers.
The problem with Guyana is that it is a stupid place. The minibuses do not stop on that sign because passengers do not go on that spot to catch a bus. On any normal day, you will see people putting their hands out to catch a passing minibus and they are standing right where they came from – a shop, a store, GPL office, GWI office, market square, commercial bank, etc.
People do not walk toward the bus mark and wait there to catch a bus.
On any given day, you will see the conductor pushing his head out the window yelling for passengers. I see this daily and have been seeing it for years. There is one of these designated areas just a few yards to the north of Survival Supermarket on Vlissengen Road.
Many times, I have to wait until the minibus pulls out of the driveway after picking up customers right in front on Survival. They do not walk towards the bus park area and the minibuses slow up when they reach Survival looking for passengers.
After the tow-truck took away the vehicle, I spent half an hour walking up and down Regent Street to see two things – if passengers will stand on the designed area and if the buses will stop there.
I started at the Ministry of Agriculture opposite GCC. Two women came out, waited there and a minibus stopped for them. A woman and a man came out of the Public Service Union office and caught a bus at the junction of Shiv Chanderpaul Drive and Regent Street.
From the Ministry of Agriculture, I ended my observation outside Bounty Supermarket. Not one, I repeat, not one, minibus stopped on the allocated spot. Not one, I repeat, not one passenger, caught transport by standing on the designated area. Don’t take my word for it – please check it out.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure in response to my column on non-functioning traffic signals and street lamps referred to my observations as “gross exaggeration.”
I live at Turkeyen. I have to use the Railway Embankment almost four times each day or night. I am on the Railway Embankment every night.
In my column, I listed four lamps that I saw with lights on the Embankment road from Sheriff Street to UG Road. I was wrong. It is six. Let me repeat– there are only six streetlights working from Sheriff Street to UG Road. Last night, I took a friend with me to count them. His name is Timal Huggins who is a friend of many second tier AFC leaders.
If saying four rather than six is a gross exaggeration, then I apologise. What I will not apologise for is the following statement. For four years now, this state of affairs on the Railway Embankment is going on. I say without fear of contradiction, all ministers from president right down must have seen that deplorable situation. This is one of the main roadways in Region Four.
Once you are going by car to the eastern coast of Region Four, and to Regions Five and Six and to Suriname, you have to witness that area of darkness from Sheriff Street onwards. Once you travel in the night to the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Giftland Mall and the Aquatic Centre, you cannot miss that pitch darkness.
I went to the Eugene Correia airport with my wife a month ago. The airport road has no working lamps and from Ogle to Industry on the Embankment road, there are no street lamps.
While waiting, a gentleman with a European accent engaged me and wife in light conversation. His guest came and he said goodbye. They had to travel from Ogle to Sheriff Street in darkness. What did they say about my country that has been Independent for 53 years now?

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