The PPPC is poor at planning

Feb 13, 2023 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News – The Parika Market went up in flames last week. It was a tragic incident which led to losses of tens of millions of dollars in goods that were being peddled by the now affected vendors. But hopefully from the ashes of this tragedy will emerge a new approach to the siting of public markets. Hopefully, may be an overstatement.

The Parika Market was ill-located. It should never have been situated so close to a busy junction. But that has been the way we do things in Guyana, crowd everything into small spaces, despite the massive lands which are available.

Years ago, when the decision was taken to rehabilitate the West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo roadway, another location was identified for vendors along the road verges. But instead of also using the opportunity to re-site the market and phasing out of the vending near to the Transport and Harbour Wharf, it led to the very opposite-increased roadside vending and greater encroachment at one of the busiest points on the East Bank of the Essequibo.

The Parika Market needs to be removed from its present location. The site where the market is located, should be used as a hire car and bus park to ease the congestion near to the Stelling.

The Parika Market is not the only market which needs relocating. Markets at La Penitence, Mon Repos, Charity and Port Mourant need to be resituated, since they are along main road arteries. Unfortunately, the PPPC government has shown poor vision and planning when it comes to building markets.

The Mon Repos Market was built alongside the East Coast Public Road which meant that roadside vending proliferated causing a major traffic bottlenecks. When the La Penitence Public Road was being improved, roadside vendors who had created a logjam for traffic on Sunday mornings were removed. They have since returned.

The PPPC is piss-poor when it comes to proper planning. Instead of dismantling the eyesore that is, the Mon Repos Market, and relocating it at the back of the village where it would cause less traffic congestion, the government opted to renovate the old structure.

The congestion caused by roadside vending near markets is becoming intolerable. Anyone who has ever visited Charity will be aghast at the shanty-like structures that constitute the market. A few days ago when the NDC attempted to remove some structures near to the market they were rebuffed.

Some hard decisions have to be made. Why should taxpayers have to spend billions of dollars for the government to construct bypasses on public highways simply because vendors are encroaching and congesting public roads? It is the illegal vendors who need to be removed and given legal stalls.

Markets have now become ghost-facilities. At Bourda Market in Georgetown more than 50% of the stalls are shuttered. The inside of the La Penitence market, opposite Kaieteur News, is deserted, with only a few vendors plying their business. The former ‘greens’ tarmac of Bourda Market is no different because most of sales now take place along the roadside. In fact, Robb Street, near to the market is now a drive-through market with shoppers making their purchases without leaving their cars, causing long traffic jams in adjoining streets.

And yet, the solutions are obvious. Cease roadside vending, allow persons to return to ply their trade within the markets, relocate markets away from the busy thoroughfares and make provision for adequate parking.

But, to do so is going to be highly unpopular decision. And government tends to be more concerned with popularity than with order. Markets are dying in Guyana and the only way to revive them is to stop illegal vending on the roadside and on the pavements and to create new markets and commercial districts.

Guyana, this week, is hosting an international energy conference. Invitees are going to be regaled about the promise of Guyana and it being the fastest growing economy in the world. But what would the guests think when they have to visit the iconic Stabroek Market or risked being mugged while walking along the pavement on Regent Street, a pavement that is walled by illegal pavement vending. Is this the Guyana we are projecting to the world?

The fire which destroyed the Parika Market is a chance for the authorities to start afresh and to relocate the market to the back of the village on spacious land with adequate facilities for vending and parking.

But we know that despite high officials being lettered in urban planning, this is not going to happen. The Parika Market is likely to be rebuilt on the same location and result in the same chaos, congestion and confusion.