Agricola tyre shop operations hinder traffic flow on EBD public road

Jan 27, 2020 News

– Concerns raised with City Hall, Public Infrastructure Ministry

A tyre shop located at Agricola, East Bank Demerara has become the subject of complaints from residents due to the congestion it creates for those having to access the public road.
Residents say that often vehicles (including ‘bush trucks) parked alongside the tyre shop hinder the smooth commute of traffic and pedestrians alike.
Residents say the public road provides for double lane traffic, but vehicles are forced to form a single lane when approaching the tyre shop at Agricola. This problem is said to particularly acute on week days.

The Agricola tyre shop reportedly causes congestion along the Public Road

However, what is most disturbing to the residents is the fact that the congestion affects schoolchildren.
The issue was raised at a recent meeting of the Georgetown Mayor and City Councillors.
Representative of constituency 15 (Houston, Agricola, Mc Doom and other East Bank Demerara communities) Cilesia Hall told the Council that activities of the vulcanising outlet have led to major concerns.
Hall noted that, “the tyre shop is causing obstruction to the flow of traffic and pedestrians alike.”
She was particularly vocal about the safety of children who commute the public road to school almost every day.
She explained that the residents have complained about the congestion and particularly the danger this poses for children who are forced to walk on the public road whenever vehicles and other objects from the shop block their way.
Hall said further that neighbours have complained that the tyres from the outlet encumber their free movement.
She told the Mayor and Councillors that she had raised the issue with the proprietor, Tony Rutherford.
She said that Mr. Rutherford removed the tyres and other items for about a week. However, by the following week, the tyres and other objects were again blocking the area.
The councillor added that, “Rutherford had been formally written to, but he basically tried to justify the reason for actions.”
When contacted by this publication, the proprietor denied that the work of the shop is creating congestion.
He said it is actually preventing commuters from falling into a large hole on the pavement.
“If you check the pavement, you will see a big hole. We had to put up a grill to block the pavement so that people won’t fall in. We are not creating a block. What the Council needs to do is fix the pavement,” Rutherford said.
Hall told the Council, the issue of encroachment does not exist at Agricola, alone.
She said that at Houston, the problem exists with vendors encroaching along the main road. She said that now the Council has been made aware of the issues the Town Clerk will be looking into the matters.
As a consequence, even Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma was notified.
When contacted, the Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure explained owing to issues of jurisdiction, his Ministry cannot on its own determine what action should be taken.
“Of course it’s the public road, but some of these districts fall under the jurisdiction of the Council and the police have some authority as well, as the traffic is involved. So it will need to be addressed through a multi-agency approach,” Sharma said.