Dear Editor,

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali, the Government of Guyana and the Minister of Public Works must come in for high praise for the transformational road projects that they are undertaking. The new roadways along the East Bank of Demerara, the one from Parika to the planned new harbour bridge across the Demerara River that will connect the West Bank to the East Bank and the East Coast road that will be connecting with the East Bank are all so necessary. It is visionary leadership. Roads are the arteries through which the economy of a country pulses. By linking producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to school, and the sick to hospitals, roads are vital to any development agenda.
However, there is a serious problem developing in all of this development, one that has to be addressed now or else it will get further out of hand. A number of unscrupulous individuals have decided to indiscriminately occupy the verges of these new highways, creating a nightmare for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

These persons, many of whom own trucks, park them at the sides of the roads, blocking entirely the pedestrians and cyclists paths; some even decide to erect tents along with their trucks and vend all day, from fruits, to vegetables, whilst others operate as butcheries, selling every type of meat, even slaughtering chickens right there. Others sell bread and dog food. Not only are they encumbrances and traffic hazards, but they are also very unsightly. Some even set up roadside mechanic shops with large trucks being parked and repaired right there at the side of the highways for days and weeks. At Providence, there is a nice little tourism hub being developed in the area known as ‘Red Road’ and the East Bank highway with an international branded hotel, casino and movie theatre now being joined by a spanking new mall, gym and supermarket. But alas! There is now a most hideous row of more than twenty permanent shacks that have appeared along the roadway (Red Road), giving the entire area a slum-like appearance. This is most unfortunate and needs to be corrected immediately, not just for aesthetics, but for the safety of persons visiting the area, particularly at night. As a country we have to decide if we are serious about developing Guyana as a tourism destination by beautifying our country, or if we are going to allow vendors to pop up anywhere, creating a shanty town façade everywhere

Yours sincerely,

Anu Bihari