Rethinking city spaces in Georgetown

WE continue to be amazed by the many different stories which are being peddled in certain sections of the media and other places about the installation and operation of parking meters in the city. To be honest, we have no problem with the current debate and public conversation on this new municipal innovation. In fact, we welcome it, because it affords us an opportunity to tell the truth about this project, which has enormous potential to re-shape not only the cityscape but the general culture of the city.
However, the installation and operation of those meters are just small components of a wider system designed by the Council to properly organise the city.
Our objective is to redesign and modernise the capital in a way that allows it to be efficient culturally, socially, environmentally and economically; it must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great cities of the world.

A NEW MINDSET
This requires a new mindset; the way we think about Georgetown. It demands that the city’s government, this being the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) rethink the use, conservation, protection and sustainable development of its resources. These include human resources, water, and space.
Perhaps the most important resource is space, because nothing can exist outside of it; everything exists inside of space.
Mostly, what the city has to offer is this resource: Space.
At the level of the city, all of our activities, from the cradle to the grave, focus on creating, developing and designing, renting, giving and leasing space.
A substantial portion of our laws deals with the good management of this resource.
It is a scarce resource that has been taken for granted for generations, in Georgetown. It is also, collectively owned by all the citizens of Georgetown. They were born into it; they pay taxes for its maintenance; they have a legitimate right to access it. If a private individual or group of individuals, a company or corporation wishes to use public space for business or any other private enterprise then citizens could be denied their rightful access to their space. Therefore, such private enterprise or business must adequately compensate citizens for using their space. This must be done through their local governments.
For ages, in Georgetown, individuals and corporations have been taking up public space without even offering adequate compensation to citizens. For example, many big businesses have concerted portions of our alleyways and other drainage infrastructure, without permission, making those portions impervious facilitating overtopping during heavy rains. Others have appropriated parapets, pavements and other thoroughfares making it very difficult for ordinary citizens to use those facilities.
In some cases, senior citizens and children are forced to walk in the face of oncoming traffic, on busy streets, just because some individual or company decided that they can do more business by spreading out their merchandise beyond their selling point or boundaries of their legitimate business places.

PARKING
Then we have parking. For as long as anyone can remember, motorists have been parking for free. In the Central Business District, motorists just park for as long as they wish, wherever they find space. It is so free and easy that taxi operators, who are registered with established companies with bases and radios, find it more lucrative to park on Council roads wherever, whenever for free, apparently, without a care in the world.
Also, many of the taxi bases are on council’s reserves; the owners pay zero to the council. Yet, the municipality has to deal with all the challenges posed by this so called free parking including high economic, social and environmental costs to the city and local residents.
In order to reverse this trend, the Council must begin to manage city spaces in a way that is beneficial to all citizens; not just private enterprises.
One way by which we can do this is the installation and operation of parking meters, particularly in the Central Business District of the city. This will allow, inter alia, reduction of traffic congestion; improve mobility; increase in parking space availability; incentive for people to use public transportation; reduction in pollution and its attendant evils; revenue for the city; and boost investors’ confidence in the city.
We are aware of the view held by a few that the city does not have to install parking meters to raise money. The trouble is that those very individuals have not been able to suggest practical and viable alternatives by which the Council can have the requisite funds to fulfill its statutory mandate independent of Central Government.
And why should a city, with by-laws, which make provisions for it to generate sufficient revenues to manage its affairs, depend on Central Government, or any other agency for that matter, for money? It simply does not make good sense.
It is very clear to us that the Council needs to rethink the way it manages city space. Our commitment is to do just that. Encrusted in our commitment is an urgency and awareness of where we want to go as a city. We are confident that, as we push ahead in this particular direction, not only will we see order, beauty and excellence, but also sustainable development, progress and prosperity.

Yours faithfully,
Royston King
Town Clerk

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