TOWN Clerk Royston King is anticipating less resistance from the public when the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) moves to re-implement the parking meter system soon.
Currently, the controversial parking meter contract is being discussed at a sub-committee of Cabinet.

Prior to this, the attempted implementation of the parking meters was met with strong protests from hundreds of public-spirited citizens and various groups.

Some contend that the fees were burdensome to the average Guyanese while other groups such as the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) say the M&CC did not follow due process as the parking meters should have been offered for public tender.

Still, there were some who welcomed the initiative as one which would help to reduce the chaos of vehicular parking in the congested Capital City.

Since then, the parking meter re-negotiation committee has made adjustments to several parts of the contract including price, payment for space, sanctions and how profits would be shared.

With regards to fees, following discussions with the contracted party–Smart City Solutions– citizens would be required to pay a proposed fee of $150 per hour (VAT inclusive) or $800 (VAT inclusive) for eight hours of parking in the City.

On Wednesday, King told this newspaper that he anticipates that this time around there will be less resistance from the public as several persons who opposed the project are now calling for its implementation.

“Many of the individuals who were against that project in fact have been asking us to implement that project. This is what we’ve been having where you’re seeing a complete reversed position by some persons who were against the project; they’re now for the project. In fact, many individuals have approached me and have asked me ‘when are you going to bring this project? Let us have the parking meter’,” King stated, adding: “So, yes, we anticipate less resistance from the public.”

King is optimistic that the Cabinet sub-committee will look at the project favourably.
“We’re very optimistic that that committee is taking a careful look and they’re studying that new innovation. We’re very optimistic that very soon we will be able to implement that project. It is needed; if you look at what is happening in the City on any given day, the chaos with vehicular traffic, roads are unsafe in that sense, [so] we really need that project not only because we need the revenue but there needs to be order on our roads and our roads need to be safe.”