By Shauna Jemmott

IN a bid to regularize parking in the capital city, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has installed a paid parking lot along East Street, but support for the initiative has been poor ever since it started operations six weeks ago.The parking lot manned by the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown has been in operation approximately six weeks now and there is a charge of $360 for the first hour and an additional $180 is required every hour after.
It is said to be constructed to accommodate vehicles belonging to staff and visitors of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Guyana Chronicle understands that on a daily basis vehicles are parked outside of the parking lot instead of inside, and a visit to the area around 2:30pm yesterday afternoon confirmed this as only six vehicles were seen inside while more than twenty were parked along the area.
Public Relations Officer of the M&CC Debra Lewis told Guyana Chronicle the regularizing of parking in the area is in keeping with the laws, since Section 274 of the Municipality and District Council Act gives the council the right to regularize parking and parking spaces in Georgetown.
She said because citizens of Georgetown are not yet accustomed to the new system, the M&CC will consult with stakeholders, including citizens living in the area, to enter into a public/private partnership in managing the parking lot. A meeting will be held in two weeks.
The parking space will be divided into two parts, one of which will be free, and the M&CC will negotiate with stakeholders to settle at a price since many have complained that the price is too high.
When Guyana Chronicle spoke to a few drivers parked along the area, one man said the fee is indeed high. He said he is a hire car operator at the East Bank short-drop park, and the council has instituted a new system in which each of those drivers must pay $200 daily for parking.
He said while at that park drivers are generating revenues, someone parking in the hospital parking lot would not be making money there.
Another individual said many of the people parking vehicles in the area are waiting on persons who visit the hospital for medical care, and sometimes have to wait long hours. She said she prefers parking outside for free instead of wasting thousands sometimes.
Parking in the lot also ensures the security of the vehicles since there is a toll security hut constructed at its entrance where staff is on duty.
A businessman in the area said though the parking lot system does not affect him directly, his customers sometimes find it difficult to get suitable parking as vehicles mostly surround the new parking lot.
Meanwhile, Lewis told Guyana Chronicle that the council had instituted a system in which minibuses and other public transportation will pay $200 daily for parking at bus and car parks in the capital city, with effect from Monday last.
She said while most minibus operators are cooperating, those who join the lines at the bus park in an orderly manner have complained that they are being cheated as other buses rush ahead without joining the lines and are filled soon after they arrive at the parks.
The M&CC on Sunday will host a consultation with drivers at City Hall regarding negotiations for a more organized operation.
Lewis told Guyana Chronicle the M&CC is currently training fifteen new staff and will soon recruit more to work a shift system so that their presence will be at the park daily to collect revenues and ensure order.