GEORGETOWN Mayor Ubraj Narine has said that the notorious parking meter project does not form part of his agenda at the moment; instead, he has major plans to install several parking lots across the City.

He is, however, not sure that this vision would become a reality during his tenure as mayor, but he has indicated that there are a number of investors on hand who are willing to invest in a 50/50 partnership with the City.

“But at this point, space is the problem,” he told the Guyana Chronicle on the sidelines of a recent statutory meeting at City Hall, adding, “I have a proposal for parking lots, maybe a five-storey or a four storey in the city. I am working on that proposal presently.” The moment space becomes available, the project will kick off, he offered.

In fact, he has already identified spaces that can serve the purpose. “I’m looking at that space opposite the Bourda Market, the cemetery there; but I was told that space is a national monument and I ought to engage the ‘National Trust’ and it may even reach to Central Government. You need these spaces to make investments that will benefit the City.”
The idea of erecting parking lots is being pursued more aggressively than that of renegotiating with Smart City Solutions (SCS), the overseas company which was granted a concession to install parking meters in the City, he indicated.

“Parking meters are not on my agenda at this point in time. Before we go back to parking meters, we have to renegotiate with the overseas company in terms of a better price and all these things. Mechanisms need to be put in place to have parking meters. You can’t put the tail first, or the cart before the horse,” he commented.

At the moment, the mayor said he also has in mind removing all of the bus parks from their current stations. “One of my visions is to remove all the bus parks completely and place them maybe at the head of the city, at Turkeyen perhaps, and have city buses to transport the passengers so that people can get free space to do their business.”

The mayor believes that the shopping areas of the city should be left clear for citizens’ convenience. “I believe that later on, Regent Street should be free and have free shopping flow without any vehicles parking along the shoulders of the road,” he said.

The Parking Meter Renegotiation Committee, a sub-committee of the City Council, was formed to renegotiate with SCS. A significant drop in the parking fee was arrived at, but even so, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), along with the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) and other stakeholders, continued to insist that the contract with SCS was illegal.
The project drew several protests outside of City Hall.