THERE is need for a public transport authority and improvement of the road network system in the city, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson has said.
Patterson was at the time giving remarks at the stakeholders’ consultation Friday on Sustainable Urban Study for Georgetown held at the Cara Lodge Hotel, Quamina Street, Georgetown. He said the study was aimed at presenting a comprehensive look at the city of Georgetown to promote effective mobility.

Minister Patterson said the recommendations fall under the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown and the ministry will not usurp their responsibility.
At the end of the stakeholders meeting, he said a final report will be presented to the ministry and the municipality. The study entails five sectors: The Urban Improvement Transportation sector; Traffic Improvement Programme; Gender study and institutional strengthening, and the parking management plan.

“It is necessary that we have to change the operational mode of the transportation system in Georgetown…so we have to introduce new requirements for drivers and vehicles and the creation of new responsibilities for persons involved in public transportation and one of the recommendation [s] is an agency to overlook public transportation,” Patterson said
The Sustainable Transport Sector Plan (STSP) 2016-2026, is one of the key economic infrastructures to support the socio-economic development of Guyana.

According to the plan, this is in line with the sector-wide planning approach adopted by government to provide a coordinated and cohesive planning framework that enables a whole of government’s perspective in the prioritisation and funding of investments in the transport sector.

This approach is supported by a consistent policy and regulatory regime that ensures efficiency, safety and sustainability in the construction, maintenance and use of physical transport infrastructure and services. The consultant reviewed sectoral performance over the past five five years, analyse developmental issues, challenges and opportunities and set key objectives, policies and strategies to guide the development of the sector in the next five years.

The plan must provide a prioritised investment programme for the Land, Air and River sub-sectors with estimates of the financial and human resources required to implement it.