Thousands of cars, same old roadways

By Sunita Samaroo
Guyana has undergone a metamorphosis in the transportation sector, from battles over limited public transportation a few decades ago to the now daily bumper-to-bumper trudge to get to and from home, work, school or

A common sight on the East Bank thoroughfare

just about anywhere in and around the city; the fact that vehicles are now made affordable for a larger percentage of Guyanese has had serious implications for the roadways and its users.
The truth is, the time it took the country just a few years to go through a vehicle series has been lessened considerably. With the advent of bank car loan schemes and attractive packages from auto dealers willing to strike bargains with those interested, the number of vehicles on the road has steadily increased.
As the populace continues to take advantage of the opportunities available, current trends indicate that more vehicles are being bought and registered over an increasingly shorter period.
Just last year, the Guyana Revenue Authority reported that the PLL series was the first to break the trend of lengthy “turnovers,” after the country recorded 9999 vehicles in that series in two years.
The tax agency, under whose ambit is the Licence Revenue Office (LRO), confirmed that the ‘TT’ series commenced on November 13 last, after the ‘SS’ series, which officially began on November 25, 2013, came to an end.
The GRA was forced to concede that the ‘SS’ series now holds the record for being the series to have endured the shortest period since 2000.
The report from the tax agency makes it quite clear that there are more privately registered vehicles, on the road. And the numbers continue to multiply rapidly.

A car park located between Church Street and North Road.

If you check the streets, you would notice that in the span of two months the nation has already surpassed 2000 registered PTT vehicles.
And already it is extremely difficult to find parking in the city, ask any vehicle owner. Anyone trying to park on Regent Street, Robb Street or in the vicinity of the shopping areas knows the problem.
The parking situation is one which has left the tax agency itself to claim a plot of land on Camp Street for parking. But the GRA is not the only outfit that has sought to have a parking lot. Ashmin’s and Nigel’s Supermarkets as well as places like 704 Sports Bar and Lounge have resorted to secure parking areas for their customers.
If anything, during the Christmas season, the traffic congestion worsened. Even streets that are less busy during regular periods, became flooded with vehicles.
But Christmas aside, the flow of traffic on the Georgetown and outlying roadways is becoming more congested on a daily basis, because there are now many more vehicles being imported while the road network remains the same, hence the reason to undertake a detailed study.
In countries where car sales mount, there are efforts to build more roads. Where the space is no more, then the authorities build overpasses.
A key project to upgrade the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue link is expected to commence in the first quarter of this year, Government has announced. The administration has been working on the project for a number of years after it became clear that the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue link was becoming too congested.
It is the plan to upgrade the entire Sheriff Street to the National Cultural Centre. From the National Cultural Centre, a four-lane road will run to the Banks DIH Junction, at Thirst Park, the Government has said.
The roadway links the East Bank to East Coast of Demerara, and is a key artery in the city. It is also home to growing shopping centres and entertainment spots. The seven-mile road project will cost Guyana at least US$24M.
The Ministry of Public Works will also place focus on an urban transport study, a concept that has been floating in the air for quite some time.
A Ministry official had explained that this study will develop a specific diagnostic of the urban transport situation, problems and trends, and provide recommendations on matters of public transport infrastructure, operations, financing and institutional organisation.
Expressions of interest are currently being exercised by the Ministry for the Urban Transport Study (UTS) to be undertaken by a contracted entity to see how best the issue of traffic congestion can be mitigated.
The official had highlighted that expressions of interest for the UTS would have closed last July, and afterwards “a study will commence in terms of Georgetown and its environs.”
The study is one which will look at parking, the use of streets, the best areas for certain buses to park, where cars should be, among other things.
There was also a study being undertaken recently by the Home Affairs Ministry to convert streets into one-ways, to ease the congestion and recently the intersection at Regent and Camp Streets, two busy thoroughfares, became a “no right turn” zone.
Traffic on Camp Street is prohibited from turning right into Regent Street and the lights have been configured to no longer allow right turns as of last March.
Additionally, changes have also been made in the Queenstown area.
The East Coast and East Bank of Demerara thoroughfares are being extended to ease the situation. Residents of communities like the Diamond Housing Scheme in particular continue to complain of the heavy traffic they encounter every morning and afternoon at peak hours.
Leaving Georgetown around 17:00 hours on weekdays often times leave Diamond residents arriving at their homes around 18:30 hours or later. The complaints are numerous.
Apart from the direct consequences, the high incidence of accidents and road deaths in our society brings immeasurable trauma for those involved, their families and friends, with serious costs to the community, business and the economy.
Now, more than at any time in the past, there is a glaring need for an immediate and comprehensive review of the nation’s road transport system. This review should be the catalyst of radical changes in the current transport policy towards one based on reduction of traffic congestion, elimination of speeding, continued and dramatic improvements in traffic signals and road quality.
In particular, it should aim to improve safety of the public transport system and provide better conditions for the most vulnerable road users – pedestrians and cyclists.
While the government smiles because of the revenue that accrues from the vehicle imports, road users are becoming more frustrated daily.