— APNU councillor tells parking meter consultation

A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity (APNU) Councillor,Monica Thomas on Wednesday said she

is against clamping vehicles found in breach of the parking meter regulations as this largely affects people negatively, even psychologically.

She was sharing her views on the parking meter project at a consultation meeting that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) called in response to Government’s suspension of the project for three months, and its request to the M&CC to consider a number of questionable clauses in the contract.

“It (clamping) affects people psychologically because it’s not something Guyanese are accustomed to. It has a very negative effect on people and I think that’s why a lot of people didn’t support it. It is harsh. No one wants to be in chains if I can use that term figuratively,” said Thomas, who then suggested that other means of enforcement be looked at.

Although supportive of the project, Thomas is of the view that the public needs to be more informed about it. In fact, she charged that there should be more public involvement in everything that City Hall is doing.

Councillor Ron Persaud called for a copy of the original contract to be produced and urged councillors to roll up their sleeves and take to the streets so that they can sell the project in a way that would result in more people being satisfied with the terms.

At yesterday’s meeting, councillors were still not in possession of the contract between M&CC and Smart City Solutions (SCS), the company that was granted the concession to install the meters.

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Councillor,Bishram Kuppen similarly asked that the contract be produced and offered that a mere amended document, which was given to councillors, would not suffice.
Kuppen, who noted that the terms of the contract were “overwhelmingly” in favour of SCS, said councillors should have been afforded the opportunity to leisurely review the contract.

He pointed to the fact that parking meters do not necessarily have to be installed in the entire City, and that the City Council itself was contributing to congestion by allowing vendors to overcrowd the streets.

UNACCEPTABLE

Kuppen said the aggressiveness of the enforcement aspect was unacceptable, the penalties were too harsh and the fees too high.

Another PPP Councillor,Khame Sharma,voiced his disappointment that a copy of the original contract was not made available to councillors.

“I take umbrage to the fact that we have not seen the contract. Where is the contract? You (the mayor) yourself said there is nothing to hide. The due process was not followed and so how can we support and vote on a contract we have never seen and perused?”

Sharma was chided by Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and Town Clerk Royston King for making the statement that businesses have experienced a drop in sales and that the City is facing an economic downturn.

Chase-Green and King wanted to expunge Sharma’s remarks from the records because they said he produced no evidence to support his claims.

Councillor Welton Clarke stood up to say that if the Council allows this contract to go, anything else it comes up with in future will be protested.

“We have to pay a price for improvement. If we are not firm, they will take advantage of City Hall,” he stated.

Member of the Finance Committee,Junior Garrett noted that the City Council cannot ask for a 50/50 share because it is not putting anything into the initiative.

“This will have a serious impact on investors’ confidence in Guyana if this contract is scrapped. For just a couple of days, we were able to collect over $600,000.”
Garrett offered that the project reduces pollution, improves security on streets, and saves time and gas searching for parking.

Other councillors who contributed to the meeting included Heston Bostwick, Sophia Whyte, Oscar Clarke, and Ivelaw Henry.

The mayor ended the meeting by asking the town clerk to ensure that all councillors are given a copy of the original contract and she also did not object to a suggestion that a new team be formed to negotiate the contract.