GUYANESE, for the first time ever, will tomorrow morning commence the use of parking meters in Georgetown with the owners of Smart City Solutions, the company that has implemented the system, saying that the populace has had enough time to get acquainted

with the new developments.

Owners of the firm, Amir Oren, Director of Business Development and Simon Moshelle, Operations Manager, along with General Manager Carlos Gochez and Public Relations Consultant Kit Nascimento, sat down for an interview with the Chronicle on Saturday and provided clarity.

During the interview at the Marriott Hotel, Oren reminded this newspaper that there had been talks about the parking meters since May 2016 and that the project was initially set to be launched in September last. Hence, the public has had an extra four months to acquaint itself with the new system.

In fact, the managers believe that the public awareness given to the parking meters, including press briefings and demonstrations of how to use the system, was greater than any other major project recently. To begin with, the meters were installed in streets within the boundaries of Water to Camp Streets; Brickdam to Quamina Street. The second phase of the project will see an extension of the boundaries within three months time. Meters will be installed between Camp Street and Vlissengen Road and Brickdam to Lamaha Street.

Although City Hall will receive 20 per cent of the company’s gross revenue, an amendment was done that will see the municipality eventually receiving as much as 30 per cent.

“The City Council does not spend one dollar, but they are getting 20 per cent because we are using their asset. A lot of people have used this headline ‘80 per cent for the company and 20 per cent for the city.’ But I’d be very happy to swap that. I’d be very happy with that,” Oren expressed.

Prepaid Parking Cards
Prepaid parking cards will be available at over 100 places, including pharmacies, gas stations, MoneyGram offices, post offices, City Hall, and such like places. The intention is for them to become as available as phone cards are.

The cards will be available for $500, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. The $5000 card will carry a one-hour free parking bonus and the $10,000 card will carry a two-and-a-half hours free parking.

“Right now, we are introducing disposal cards; in a month or two, we will introduce rechargeable cards, so that people will be able to carry one card as they go and which someone can top up with any amount. And then we will introduce an application which is a mobile payment and which allows you to have a balance on your card and even pay for a friend,” Oren explained.

“Right now, we are introducing disposal cards; in a month or two, we will introduce rechargeable cards, so that people will be able to carry one card as they go and which someone can top up with any amount. And then we will introduce an application which is a mobile payment and which allows you to have a balance on your card and even pay for a friend” – Amir Oren, Owner of Smart City Solutions

The application has already been developed, but the officials said they prefer to introduce one method at a time so as not to overwhelm users. The application will be used in a similar way persons use their phones to borrow credit, check their balances, and so forth, and it will not replace payments via the actual meters; it will just be another option for payment.
Meanwhile, company officials have said that they have already filed an application for VAT to be excluded from parking costs, which if approved, will see no VAT being added to the $50 per rotation (15 minutes).

Parking permits and the workplace
Oren and Moshelle made it clear that there will be no exemptions for government officials when it comes to parking in front of their residences.

“If their household falls within the area, they can apply for residential permits like everyone else. There is no exception at all,” said Oren.

Furthermore, he said persons have already started to apply for residential parking permits, which will be subject to a number of considerations.

“You have to be resident there, you have to prove that you are a resident there, their car has to be registered to that residence, and it has to be the type of situation where you don’t otherwise have parking. And if that’s the case, the application will be processed and there might be a steep discount for the first car and a lower discount for the second car.”

As for the workplace, there are a number of considerations that businesses can apply for that would redound to the benefit of their employees. Each company will have to work out with their employees, how they will settle the issue of payment for parking.

“If they have the need for loading and unloading activities, they can apply for a regulation to be implemented; and so if their application has been approved and someone parks during the loading and offloading times, they can call us and we can enforce for them.

“Where businesses have large fleets, they can apply for permits for those vehicles that are in those fleets and based on the number of vehicles, there are different types of discounts that can be applied. If an establishment has many parking meter spaces right outside of their business, they can apply for a certain number of parking permits,” explained Oren.

The officials have also promised to negotiate with media houses.

“If the Chronicle came to us and says we have 20 journalists, what discount will you give us? We can talk.”

In fact, the company is willing to negotiate with other groups and companies to provide “customised” solutions to their parking problems. The customer care telephone number is 231 7275.

Do not risk parking without paying
According to Oren, the company will have several enforcement teams patrolling the parking meter areas, including their own officers and those from the City Constabulary of the Mayor and City Council.

“The meter is not going to find you, but our enforcement team will,” Oren said about those who may feel they can park without paying.

“You will be immobilised and there’s going to be a fine. Teams will be patrolling their routes and they will be checking to see what spaces are paid for, versus what spaces are parked in. The meters are quite high-tech and we have people with portable devices patrolling.
“These meters are ISO-certified and are produced by very high standards. This very model of meter is in 3,500 cities across the world. The equipment we use is really the best of the best.

“These meters are not sitting out there and we don’t know what’s happening to them. They are being monitored. We know exactly what’s happening, if anyone’s tampering with this meter, if anyone is trying to open it or hit it. We also know if there’s any malfunction and what’s the average user ability of this meter. So, if we see that for some reason, a meter does not have certain activity, this will trigger alarm in our system.

“Furthermore, if for some unusual reason a meter is malfunctioning, it would be wrong for those wishing to park to assume that they can park for free.

“It’s your responsibility to go to another meter and pay. The meter is just a point of payment, so you can go to any meter to pay for that space,” said Oren.