August 6,2016
Fees for city parking will begin at $50 for 15 minutes and there will be special rates for public transportation, according to Director of Smart City Solutions (SCS) Ifa Cush, who is rejecting findings by government reviews that the parking meter contract with City Hall heavily favours his firm.
Cush announced the planned rates on Thursday night during a poorly-attended public consultation at the National Library on City Hall’s planned installation of the parking meters.
A rate of $125 per 15-minute rotation had initially been announced but was swiftly recanted after generating significant criticism.
Thursday’s consultation, which is the first of several, and came hours after State Minister Joseph Harmon revealed that while there was nothing illegal about the contract, a review by the Attorney General found that the terms and conditions “were onerous and they were heavily in favour of the concessionaire.”
However, Cush told Stabroek News that he did not share the view, since not only would City Hall be receiving 20% of the revenues, but Central Government would also be receiving 16%. He added that when the company honours its social obligations by giving back, it would ultimately be giving back in excess of 50% of profits back to the city and country.
For the next three weeks, consultations would continue in the National Library Conference Room at 5.30 pm. The remaining sessions are planned for August 9, 18, and 25, specifically targeting taxi drivers, mini-bus drivers, businesses in the central business district and residents.
Thursday’s consultations saw poor attendance from public transportation operators. Minibus operators were a no-show, while only about five taxi drivers were present.
In brief remarks, Cush told the meeting that the installation of the parking meters within the central business hub of the city would provide over a hundred jobs for the unemployed in the fields of communication, enforcement, information technology and maintenance.
The minimum wage, he further stressed, would be $100,000 and training would be provided to those employed.
The parking meter service would operate between the hours of 7am and 7pm. It was also stated that they would be setting up a nocturnal parking system, which would operate in the vicinity of night spots in the city. Parking Meters that are apart of nocturnal parking system would operate until 3am.
Further, it was announced that minibuses operating within the environs of Demico House would be required to be a part of a toll system, where they would pay $100 for parking for every entry into the line to receive passengers. Cush noted that the rate paid does not have a time limit but once a bus rejoins the line the operator would be required to pay the $100 fee.
Few persons who were present at the consultation applauded the company for its investment, but at the same time sought clarity on issues.
A citizen, Johann Earle, asked where the parking meters would be located and was told the meters are to be located in the central business district of the city along the Avenue of the Republic, Camp, Car-michael, Main, Church, Regent, Robb, Water, Middle, Quamina, Long-den and America streets as well as North Road and Brickdam.
Stabroek News was told that the first shipment of parking meters are expected to arrive in Guyana mid-September.
The manner in which the contract was awarded to NPS/SCS has generated significant controversy in light of the fact that the project was not publicly tendered. In addition, the secrecy surrounding the deal has also been the source of suspicion as has the absence of details on the bona fides of NPS/SCS.
Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan has been one of the boldest critics and called for the project to be transparent.
Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had said that the previous council, in November last year, entered into an agreement with NPS/ SCS. Chase-Green and Town Clerk Royston King made a decision not to make public or share the contract with the other councillors out of fear that the opportunity for the foreign direct investment would be stolen from the city.
